SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Solicitor-General how much in compensation payments was paid by the Law Officers' Departments in 2005-06; and what the reason was for each payment.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) paid compensation of £331,605 during 2005-06. This information has been drawn from central CPS accounting records and not from detailed analysis of each case, which would incur disproportionate cost. But the reasons for payments included the outcome of personal injury claims and employment tribunals or were for procedural errors.
	In 2005-06, the Treasury Solicitor's Department paid £41,000 and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate £187, but the reason for payment is in each case withheld on grounds of confidentiality to protect the identity of the individuals concerned.
	The Attorney-General's Office, Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office and Serious Fraud Office made no compensation payments in 2005-06.

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Solicitor-General how much was spent by the Law Officers' Departments on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000.

Mike O'Brien: The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office was established on 18 April 2005 and has identified expenditure of £58,000 in 2005-06 on furniture manufactured and/or assembled in the UK.
	The Serious Fraud Office has spent the following on design, construction and, on occasion, installation of furniture by British firms in each year since 2000:
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£) 
			 2000-01 33,563.54 
			 2001-02 43,807.65 
			 2002-03 5,847.48 
			 2003-04 17,502.80 
			 2004-05 117,250.80 
			 2005-06 176,490.84 
		
	
	The Crown Prosecution Service and the Treasury Solicitor's Department (including HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Attorney General's Office) do not keep central records of the place of manufacture of furniture which they purchase. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

International GCSE

Nick Gibb: To ask the Solicitor-General whether  (a) the Crown Prosecution Service,  (b) HM Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office and  (c) the Serious Fraud Office recognise the international GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purpose of recruitment.

Mike O'Brien: All my Departments recognise the international GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE where such a qualification is required in recruitment.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cars run by the Law Officers' Departments were manufactured  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad.

Mike O'Brien: The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office and the Serious Fraud Office have no departmental vehicles and do not use Government pool cars. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) leases 19 vehicles of which five were manufactured in the UK; 13 abroad; and for one the supplier was unable to confirm whether it was manufactured in the UK or abroad.
	CPS and Treasury Solicitor's Department (including HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Attorney-General's Office) use Government pool cars from the Government Car and Dispatch Service (GCDA). Information on cars operated by GCDA is available on page 14 of GCDA's Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06, copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

TREASURY

Bank of England Yacht

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Bank of England of maintaining the Bank of England yacht was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and on how many occasions in the last 24 months employees of his Department have used it.

Edward Balls: The Bank of England's contribution to the BoE Sailing Club is a matter for the Bank. The club has no record of Treasury employees using the yacht in the last 24 months.

Building Societies: Charitable Assignments

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has received representations on the ability of managers of building societies to remove the charitable assignment of benefits at their discretion.

John Healey: The charitable assignment scheme was introduced by the Nationwide building society in November 1997 and seeks to ensure that all new members agree to assign their share of any future conversion benefits to a Charitable Foundation. The majority of building societies have since adopted this scheme.
	The Treasury is not aware of any representations to remove this charitable assignment and any ability to do so is a matter for the individual society and its members.

Child Tax Credit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families have received the baby element of the child tax credit in each year since its introduction, broken down by  (a) in-work and  (b) out-of-work families.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of in-work families benefiting from the baby addition of the child tax credit in 2004-05 and 2005-06 is shown at Table 2.1 in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2004-05". This is available on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	An estimated 130 thousand out-of-work families receive either the baby addition to child tax credit or the equivalent via income support.

Children's Charity Party: No. 11 Downing Street

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost to public funds is expected to be of the 2006 children's charity party at Number 11 Downing Street; and what the cost was for the party in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005.

John Healey: No public funds were spent on the children's charity party in 2006, 2005 or 2004.

Cold-related Deaths

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths in each of the past 10 years have been due to cold-related illnesses in the  (a) over 65s and  (b) under 65s.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 December 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths in each of the past 10 years have been due to cold-related illnesses in the (a) over 65s and (b) under 65s. (110439)
	The most recent year for which figures are available is 2005.
	Most routine mortality statistics are based on a single cause for each death, the underlying cause of death which is defined by the World Health Organisation as:
	(a) the disease which initiated the train of events directly leading to death; or
	(b) the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury.
	Using this definition "cold" can never be an underlying cause of death. However subnormal body temperature, hypothermia, may be mentioned on the death certificate.
	The table below shows the number of deaths where hypothermia was mentioned on the death certificate by age group for England and Wales between 1996 and 2005,
	
		
			  Deaths with a mention of hypothermia( 1)  on the death certificate, by age, England and Wales, 1996-2005( 2) 
			   Aged under 65  Aged 65 and over 
			 1996 35 185 
			 1997 47 158 
			 1998 42 178 
			 1999 37 160 
			 2000 39 165 
			 2001 38 101 
			 2002 38 71 
			 2003 28 95 
			 2004 37 70 
			 2005 26 69 
			 (1) Deaths with a mention of hypothermia defined using the International Classification of Diseases. Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 991.6 for the years 1996 to 2000, and the Tenth Revision (ICD-IO) code T6Sfrom 2001 onwards. (2) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Tax Credit Office in Preston will reply to the letter of 3 October 2006 from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West about his constituent, Mrs. Suzanne Cameron Smith-Main.

Dawn Primarolo: The Tax Credit Office replied to the hon. Gentleman's letter of 3 October 2006 on 18 October 2006.

Council of Economic Advisers

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Gavin Kelly is  (a) an interim special adviser in the place of the reduced duties of Dr. Wood and  (b) a permanent addition to the Council of Economic Advisers.

John Healey: Gavin Kelly is a permanent member of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Council of Economic Advisers

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answers of 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 722W, on External Employment Notices, and 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 486W, and the Prime Minister's written statement of 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 90WS, on special advisers, if he will publish an updated list of the salaries of all his Council of Economic Advisers.

John Healey: The Prime Minister publishes an up-to-date list for all special advisers and those employed on special adviser terms in his annual statement on this subject.

Departmental Computer Systems

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any corrupt data have been detected on his Department's computer systems.

John Healey: There is no record of the detection of any corrupt data upon which calculations or decisions are subsequently made.
	Corruption, which is detected, and corrected, before any use is made of the data, occurs as part of the internal operation of all computer systems.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the cost was of  (a) vehicle maintenance and  (b) vehicle fuel to (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the cost was of  (a) hiring and  (b) purchasing vehicles by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The information requested is as follows.
	 Vehicle fuel and maintenance
	No direct expenditure on vehicle fuel or maintenance has been incurred in the past three years by HM Treasury, the Government Actuary's Department, National Savings and Investments or the Debt Management Office. For the Office of Government Commerce, OGCbuying.solutions and the Office for National Statistics the data cannot easily be disaggregated from other categories of spending. Therefore further analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data for the remaining agencies are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Valuation Office Agency
			 Fuel 113 130 155 
			 Maintenance 117 70 163 
			 
			  HM Revenue and Customs
			 Fuel 3,576 3,545 3,379 
			 Maintenance 2,579 2,189 2,090 
			 
			  Royal Mint
			 Fuel 19 16 15 
			 Maintenance 4 8 7 
		
	
	 Vehicle hire and purchase
	HM Treasury, Office of Government Commerce and the Debt Management Office have not hired or purchased any vehicles in the past three years. Data for the remaining agencies are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			   2005-06  2004-05  2003-04 
			  HM Revenue and Customs
			 Hire 2,942 2,716 2,647 
			 Purchase 4,145 5,578 5,771 
			 
			  Royal Mint
			 Hire 0 Nil 0 
			 Purchase 48 15 20 
			 
			  Valuation Office Agency
			 Hire 147 194 205 
			 Purchase Nil Nil Nil 
			 
			  National Savings and Investments
			 Hire 28 29 32 
			 Purchase Nil Nil Nil 
			 
			  Government Actuary's Department
			 Hire 0 Nil Nil 
			 Purchase Nil Nil Nil

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 719W, on Departmental expenditure, what his Department's staff subsistence costs were from travel  (a) abroad and  (b) in the UK in each year since 1997.

John Healey: I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 16 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1060W.

Departmental Staff

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many directors in his Department have a member of staff of pay band E or higher to support their duties.

John Healey: All Treasury directors have staff at pay range E that support them in carrying out their duties.

Departmental Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations there have been with staff on the training to be offered to staff seeking redundancy in his Department; and what the deadlines are for staff responses.

John Healey: None. The Treasury has not recently offered a voluntary redundancy scheme.

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to paragraph 6.4 of his departmental report, Cm 6830, how many staff reductions have taken place.

John Healey: The Treasury Group's performance against its headcount reduction target was published in the HM Treasury 2006 autumn performance report, which was laid in Parliament on 14 December.

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost was of staff recruitment campaigns in his Department for the last 12 months.

John Healey: HM Treasury spent a total of £303,000 on staff recruitment campaigns during the financial year 2005-06.

Departmental Taxation

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department receives in taxation of other Government Departments; and what the cost of administering this is.

Stephen Timms: Government Departments are directly liable for VAT and Stamp Duty Land Tax.
	In 2005-06 it is estimated that net Stamp Duty Land Tax receipts from Government Departments totalled £4 million. The administration costs associated with these receipts are estimated to be £8,000.
	In 2005-06(1) it is estimated that there was a net recovery of VAT receipts by Government Departments of £3,478 million. As some departments made a net payment of VAT receipts and others a net recovery, estimating the administration costs would incur disproportionate cost.
	(1 )The figure is based on the date of the return to HMRC rather than the date the payment/repayment is made.

Departmental Working Practices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of lean working practices introduced by his Department.

Dawn Primarolo: Lean working practices are being introduced to improve delivery of key areas of HMRC responsibilities such as self assessment and pay-as-you-earn. It aims to improve the overall service to taxpayers through quicker turn-around times and increased accuracy and efficiency.
	Lean ways of working have been implemented in processing over the past 12 months and are already achieving a wide range of improvements in both quality and productivity across HMRC's largest PAYE/SA offices.

Diet Foods: VAT

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the annual revenue that will be raised from charging standard-rate VAT on specialist diet foods;
	(2)  what the basis was for the decisions  (a) to charge standard-rate VAT on specialist diet foods and  (b) to do so retrospectively.

Dawn Primarolo: Most food is VAT zero-rated. The VAT liability of specialist diet foods generally follows the VAT liability of their mainstream food equivalents, and they may be zero or standard-rated depending on the nature of the product and the way that it is supplied. This has been the case since VAT was introduced. As such, no estimate has been made. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may assess to recover arrears of VAT where VAT was properly due but was not charged and was not paid over to HMRC.

Employers' Forum Disability Standard

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which areas his Department was measured as below average in the Employers' Forum Disability Standard 2005.

John Healey: The Treasury was not measured as below average in any of the areas in the Employers' Forum Disability Standard 2005.

Environmental Research Institute

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons were for the change in the level of funding for the new Environmental Research Institute in the Pre-Budget Report; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry published the Prospectus for the Energy Technologies Institute on 14 September with the aspiration of achieving a budget of £l billion from 50:50 public/private sector funding over 10 years. Private sector commitments to-date amount to £275 million, which will be matched by the Government, to provide an initial budget of £550 million. Further private sector funding partners are being sought to help to increase the Institute's budget.

Financial Services

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the legal basis was for HM Revenue and Customs' policy change in July 2006 to refuse the right of claimants from outside the European Union in the financial services and insurance sectors, engaged in the supply of services to non-EU customers, to recover VAT incurred on goods and services from UK suppliers.

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons were for HM Revenue and Customs' recent change of policy on the right of companies from outside the European Union in the financial services sector engaged in the supply of services to non-EU customers to recover VAT incurred on goods and services from UK suppliers; what representations he has received from industry on the change; what discussions he had with industry prior to the change; and what estimate he has made of the net annual change in revenue to the Exchequer which will result.

Dawn Primarolo: The change in the law, which was announced at the 2004 pre-Budget report and came into effect on 3 December 2004, was implemented as a result of a judgment of the Court of Appeal in connection with the EC 13th VAT Directive, which enables VAT to be recovered by non-EU businesses in certain circumstances. No further changes to the law were made in July 2006.
	In order to minimise the risk of forestalling, no pre-announcement of this change was made, and no impact assessments have been made.
	In 2004 it was estimated that it would have a negligible revenue effect. There has been no impact estimate post implementation.
	Representations are regularly made to Treasury Ministers and officials on a wide range of issues.

Financial Services

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on  (a) inward investment to and  (b) the competitiveness of the City of London of HM Revenue and Customs' policy change in July 2006 to withdraw the right of claimants from outside the European Union in the financial services and insurance sectors engaged in the supply of services to non-EU customers to recover VAT incurred on goods and services from UK suppliers.

Dawn Primarolo: The change in the law, which was announced at the 2004 pre-Budget report and came into effect on 3 December 2004, was implemented as a result of a judgment of the Court of Appeal in connection with the EC 13th VAT directive, which enables VAT to be recovered by non-EU businesses in certain circumstances. No further changes to the law were made in July 2006.
	In order to minimise the risk of forestalling no pre-announcement of this change was made, and no impact assessments have been made.

Financial Services

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer why HM Revenue and Customs changed their policy in July on the right of claimants from outside the European Union in the financial services and insurance sectors engaged in the supply of services to non-EU customers to recover VAT incurred on goods and services from UK suppliers; what the legal basis was for that policy change; what research was conducted into the effect of that policy change on  (a) inward investment and  (b) UK competitiveness before the change took place; what consultation was completed before the policy change; and what discussions (i) he and (ii) senior members of his staff had with representatives of the financial services and insurance sectors on the Varney Report since July.

Dawn Primarolo: The change in the law, which was announced at the 2004 pre-Budget report and came into effect on 3 December 2004, was implemented as a result of a judgment of the Court of Appeal in connection with the EC 13th VAT Directive, which enables VAT to be recovered by non-EU businesses in certain circumstances. No further changes to the law were made in July 2006.
	In order to minimise the risk of forestalling no pre-announcement of this change was made, and no impact assessments have been made.
	As the lead department for financial services, HM Treasury has extensive discussions with the financial services and insurance sectors on wide-ranging issues, including tax administration.

Flood Risk

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the economic costs to the UK of increased flood risk; and whether he will take these costs into account when determining the appropriate level of funding for flood defences over the period of the forthcoming spending review;
	(2)  what provisions he intends to make in the Comprehensive Spending Review to ensure that appropriate levels of investment continue to be made in flood defences.

John Healey: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as the Department with lead responsibility for flood risk management, continues to keep the investment needs for flood risk management under review. The Government take all the available evidence into consideration when determining Defra's CSR settlement.

Government Gilts

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the end-life total debt is associated with Government gilts issued since May 1997.

Edward Balls: £272 billion (nominal value) of gilts have been issued since May 1997, raising some £295 billion (cash). Gilt redemptions were £173 billion over the same period.

HM Revenue and Customs

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any corrupt data have been detected on the computer systems of HM Revenue and Customs.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC continually monitors the quality of its data, and works closely with its customers, including employers, small businesses and other organisations from whom it receives data to ensure that its records are up to date and accurate.
	Where inaccuracies in data are detected, they are corrected and the causes of the inaccuracies are investigated.
	By working closely with employers, HMRC has been able to successfully identify and address the causes of poor quality data, which will significantly reduce inaccuracies in the future.

HM Revenue and Customs

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what HM Revenue and Custom' performance has been against its targets on  (a) combating drug smuggling and  (b) productivity gains; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs publishes an annual report of its activities and results and these are available in the Library of the House of Commons. The annual report for 2005-06 is due to be published on the 18 December 2006.
	HMRC did not have an individual public drug targets for the Spending Review period covering 2003-04 to 2005-06. HMRC contributed to multi-agency targets through the Concerted Interagency Drugs Action (CIDA) group.
	HMRC's specific contribution against these targets was as follows:
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06( 1) 
			 Heroin seized (kg) 1,626 1,613 1,057 
			 Cocaine seized (kg) 20,727 8,606 5,798 
			 Gangs disrupted or dismantled 110 206 793 
			 Drug-related assets recovered (£ million) 18.3 17 30 
			 (1) These figures are provisional until published in the HMRC annual report for 2005-06. 
		
	
	The Department does not have a separate formal productivity target. Our SR04 settlement set a challenging financial efficiency target to achieve annual savings of £507 million by 1 April 2008, and as at 30 September 2006 savings of £225 million have been reported.

HM Revenue and Customs: Prosecution Office

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when HM Revenue and Customs' Prosecution Office expects to publish its resource accounts for 2005-06.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	The Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (RCPO) will publish its resource accounts for 2005-06 before the statutory deadline of 31 January 2007.

HM Revenue and Customs: Social Security Advisory Committee

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans there are to review the Memorandum of Understanding between HM Revenue and Customs and the Social Security Advisory Committee; what the  (a) timing and  (b) terms of reference of the review are; who will conduct it; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Memorandum of Understanding has been operating since July 2004. HMRC officials have an ongoing dialogue with the representatives of the SSAC and discuss a wide range of issues.
	A formal review has not been commissioned.

International Survey Research

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what purpose International Survey Research was paid by his Department in  (a) 2003-04 and  (b) 2004-05.

John Healey: The Treasury carries out an annual Staff Attitude Survey. This survey is undertaken on our behalf by an external contractor, International Survey Research.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in pursuance of which of his Ministerial responsibilities he visited Iraq recently.

Gordon Brown: holding answer 29 November 2006
	As Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) travel,  (b) security and  (c) other costs were for his first visit to Iraq in November 2006; and on which departmental budget those costs were borne.

John Healey: holding answer 29 November 2006
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis the total cost of overseas travel by all Ministers.

Legal Advice

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent by his Department on external legal advice in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The Treasury's spending on external legal advice for the past two financial years is as follows.
	
		
			   £000 
			 2004-05 1,061 
			 2005-06 1,704 
		
	
	Prior to 2004-05, our accounting system did not record legal costs separately from other professional services. Further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

National Insurance Contributions

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the reliability of the HM Revenue and Customs computer records on national insurance contributions; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of problems with computer records on national insurance contributions at HM Revenue and Customs; when he expects the problems to be resolved; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: New arrangements were put in place for employers to submit their annual returns from the 2004-05 tax year. However, following the introduction of the new technology there were some delays in how the individual details from a small minority of online employer returns were processed. This problem has been resolved.

Public Affairs Agencies

John Grogan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that the Office of Government Commerce issues guidance to all public bodies on the adherence to the principles of the Association of Professional Political Consultants by public affairs agencies who undertake public contracts.

John Healey: OGC provides extensive guidance to public bodies on the appropriate steps to take when engaging third party suppliers to undertake public contracts. This guidance includes the need for officials to ensure that there is no conflict of interest or impropriety likely to arise from the engagement. OGC has published guidance on the use of consultants by Departments but this does not focus specifically on the use of political consultants.

Recruitment Advertising

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on recruitment advertising in each of the last three years.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Members for Monmouth (David T.C Davies) and for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) on 6 July 2005,  Official Report, column 433W. The estimated spending by the Treasury in 2005-06 on recruitment advertising was £83,000.

Red Diesel

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has received from the European Commission on the reasons for refusing to extend the UK derogation on the use of red diesel; and if he will publish the submission he made to the Commission.

John Healey: The Commission has published its reasons in a communication to the Council (reference 16528/06 (Com(2006)743)), dated 8 December 2006, which was deposited in Parliament on 12 December.
	I have deposited a copy of the United Kingdom's application to the Commission for renewal of the derogation on the use of red diesel in private pleasure craft in the Library of the House. This application was based upon a partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) which was published at the time of the 2006 Budget and can now be found on the HM Revenue and Customs website.

Suppliers

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of  (a) the function of supplier accreditation services and  (b) the development of a centrally administered list of qualified suppliers by the Office of Government Commerce; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: In response to concerns expressed by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), the Chancellor's 2005 Budget Statement tasked the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Small Business Service (SBS) with conducting an investigation into the public sector's use of third party supplier accreditation services in lower value procurements. The resulting report can be found on the OGC website at http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/Third Party Supplier Accreditation.pdf.
	There are currently no plans for a centrally administered list of qualified suppliers for lower value procurements. However, following further consultation in the light of the OGC/SBS report, the OGC is considering what more might be done on third party accreditation to address the concerns outlined in the report.

Tax Credit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people did not renew their tax credit applications by the 2006 deadline; and how many of these have ceased receiving payments.

Dawn Primarolo: For numbers of renewals outstanding at the 2006 deadline I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 454W.
	Around 280,000 ceased to receive payments, of which number around 110,000 were subsequently reinstated.

Tax Credit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claimants appealed  (a) successfully and  (b) unsuccessfully through the HM Revenue and Customs complaints procedure against a decision to change the amount of tax credits paid to them in each year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) type of tax credit and (ii) region.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the requested format.
	For details of the number of appeals about tax credits received in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) up to 30 November 2005, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 25 January 2006,  Official Report, column 2224.
	Around 3,700 households appealed against a tax credits decision between December 2005 and March 2006 inclusive. Around 6,500 households have appealed in 2006-07 up to 31 October 2006. Figures for November 2006 are not yet available.

Tax Credit

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will publish the monthly HM Revenue and Customs management account information on tax credit call centre performance for each month from April 2005 to September 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will publish the monthly HM Revenue and Customs management account information on overpaid tax credits and benefits debt balances in each month since April 2005;
	(3)  if he will publish the monthly HM Revenue and Customs management account information on disputed overpayment of tax credits for each month from April 2005 to October 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will publish the monthly HM Revenue and Customs management account information on complaints on hand in relation to tax credits for each month since April 2005;
	(5)  if he will publish  (a) the HM Revenue and Customs narrative updates on the design and implementation of tax credit 2.T and  (b) design work to improve and develop tax credits for each month since April 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs monthly management accounts are produced for management purposes to chart progress and plan for the future. HMRC already publishes a significant quantity of information on tax credits. There are no plans to publish the raw data included in the management accounts, but this data are used to provide finalised data which are published in HMRC's reports.

Tax Credit

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit applications have been referred by HM Revenue and Customs for criminal proceedings to date in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

William McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit applications have been referred by HM Revenue and Customs for criminal proceedings to date.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC believes that to continue to give regular updates on the number of referrals for criminal proceedings could provide assistance to those engaged in criminal activity.

Tax Credit

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether people serving prison sentences in the UK are entitled to tax credits; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Families' entitlement to tax credits does not stop because one of the family is in prison. The children and partner still need to be supported and, in some instances, prisoners could be named on a claim that predates their imprisonment without impacting on the value of the award.

Tax Credit

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average overpayment was of  (a) working tax credit and  (b) child tax credit as a result of claimants not notifying the authorities of a change of circumstance in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Excluding awards overpaid by less than £10, the average overpayment of 2004-05 finalised awards, for all causes of overpayment, is estimated at £866. Separate figures for working tax credit and child tax credit, and for overpayments arising from the reason described, are not available.

Tax Credit

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the frequency of  (a) administrative and  (b) data handling and input errors in the tax credits computer system; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs reports its performance against targets annually. Details can be found in the board's annual reports for the relevant year and the Comptroller and Auditor General's standard reports. These are available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm, and
	www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/05-06/05061159.pdf.
	Indicative results for 2006-07 will be available in the spring report which will be published in 2007.

Tax Credit

Roger Gale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what HM Revenue and Customs' estimate is of the number of system faults showing incorrect amounts in overpayments.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 7 December
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) on 31 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 411-12.

Tax Credit

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of the £25,000 earnings disregard on tax credit payments is estimated to be in terms of  (a) Exchequer effect and  (b) increased entitlement between 2003-04 and 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For information on the cost of the £25,000 disregard and increase in entitlement I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers given to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois), on 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1043-44 and 14 December,  Official Report, column 1428.

Tax Credit

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assumptions his Department has used regarding its ability to recover tax credit overpayments when estimating the Exchequer effect of increasing the tax credits disregard to £25,000 per annum; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The assumptions used were consistent with the profile for recovery of 2003-04 overpayments included in the Comptroller and Auditor General's Standard Report on the Accounts of the Inland Revenue 2004-05.

Tax Credit

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Paymaster General's written ministerial statement of 6 November 2006, what IT changes were necessary before a process of imposing automatic limits on rates of tax credit recovery could be introduced; and on what basis HM Revenue and Customs concluded that it was not possible to make a risk-free introduction of this process to the original timetable.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 12 December 2006
	The IT changes required to provide for in year restriction of recovery of overpayments involved changes to existing functionality in the calculations and household accounts functions. HMRC based its decision on the results of extensive testing.

Tax Credit

Alan Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on research and development tax credits in each year since its introduction, broken down by  (a) local authority area and  (b) region.

John Healey: National estimates of the annual costs of support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are shown on the HM Revenue and Customs website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/randdtcmenu.htm
	Updated estimates of these costs, also extended to incorporate large companies from 1 April 2002 onwards, will be included in the National Statistics published on the HMRC website at the end of December 2006.
	The information requested on the breakdown of Government spending on these tax credits by local authority area and region is not available.

Tax Credit

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on  (a) television advertisements,  (b) radio advertisements,  (c) public awareness campaigns and  (d) other advertising and marketing campaigns on tax credits between 1 January and 1 October 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: Between 1 January and 1 October 2006, HMRC has run advertising to: ensure that tax credits customers renew their award before the deadline; ensure that tax credits customers report changes which might affect their award; ensure that new mothers are aware of their entitlement to tax credits.
	The amount of money spent on these campaigns is in the following table. Figures are for spend on media inclusive of any fees but excluding VAT.
	
		
			  Type of media( 1)  Spend (£ million) 
			 Television 1.8 
			 Radio 1.2 
			 Other media(2) 0.6 
			 (1) Some of the radio, online and ambient advertising included in this table ran into the first two weeks of October. (2) Other media includes advertising in magazines, online and using 'ambient media' such as payslip advertising.

Tax Credit

William McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in Northern Ireland involved in attempts to defraud the tax credits system in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available

Tax Credit

William McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his target is for reductions in the levels of tax credits error within Northern Ireland.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has Service Delivery Agreement targets for deciding tax credits claims, renewals and changes of circumstance accurately. The performance for 2003-04 was published in the former Inland Revenue's Annual Report for 2003-04 and HMRC's Annual Report for 2004-05. These reports are available on the HMRC website, www.hmrc.gov.uk.
	Results for 2005-06 will be published in the Annual Report in due course.

Tax Credit

William McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit overpayments were made to recipients in Northern Ireland in  (a) 2003-04 and  (b) 2004-05; and how much was recovered from such recipients in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: For information on number of tax credit overpayments made to recipients in Northern Ireland in the years requested, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon), on 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 406W.
	Information on recovery of overpayments is not available at regional level except at disproportionate costs.

Tax Credits and Child Trust Fund

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on advertising  (a) tax credits and  (b) the child trust fund.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows. For  (a) I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 31 October 2006,  Official Report, column 319W, and the reply to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) today (question 109241).
	For  (b) I refer the hon. Member to the Child Trust Fund Annual Report published on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/statistical-report-2Q06.pdf

Tax Fraud and Error

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 22 November 2006,  Official Report, column 102W, on tax fraud and error, if he will place in the Library the available data on the cost/yield figures for tax credit fraud and error investigation in whatever format the information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Overall yield/cost ratios for compliance interventions for tax credits can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information on tax credits compliance interventions and yield for 2005-06 can be found in the Comptroller and Auditor General's standard report on HMRC's 2005-06 accounts, available at www.nao.org.uk.

Tax Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his tax office closure plans on the administration of tax credits;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the tax office closure programme on future processing levels of employer end of year tax returns.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 14 December 2006
	HMRC do not have a tax office closure plan. They recently announced a series of regional planning reviews of their accommodation to bring it into line with their operational requirements. No decisions on any specific office closures will be taken until after the reviews have been completed but HMRC expect to need a smaller office network in future through which they will be able to operate more effectively.
	The reorganisation aims to improve both efficiency and customer service in all areas of HMRC.

Tax Offices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed in each tax office in each region of the UK; and what changes he expects to the number and percentage employed in each region over the next three years.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 14 December 2006
	The Regional Review Programme announced by the senior management of HMRC classifies each of its offices into three types for planning purposes which recognises their proximity to other HMRC sites. Details of the number of staff currently employed at these sites and future projections for planning purposes by region can be found at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/offices/index.htm.

Tax Returns

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many employer end of year tax returns were not processed on time in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the reliability rate of the PAYE computer system used by his Department.

Dawn Primarolo: As part of the work to meet the public service agreement (PSA) target for processing individual information to the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have met their internal target of processing 99 per cent. of paper Employer Annual Returns by 31 August in each of the last five years. There is no equivalent target for returns sent online.
	The major IT systems supporting PAYE have been in place over a number of years and provide a stable service. The average availability for each of these services for the past 12 months has been as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Computerisation of PAYE (COP) 99.88 
			 National Insurance Record System (NIRS) 99.91 
			 Employers Business Service (EBS) 99.90 
			 Taxpayers Business Service (TBS) 99.88 
			 External Routing Interface Component (ERIC) 99.90 
		
	
	External Routing Interface Component (ERIC) was introduced in 2005 to process Employer's Annual Returns and is working well. ERIC was a complex system being delivered within tight time scales. Although there were delays in the processing of 2004-05 returns, ERIC was able to process error-free employer data quicker than in the past. Processing delays have not been repeated in 2006.

Timber Sales: Tax

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of the exemption from  (a) income tax and  (b) corporation tax of profits from timber sales in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Figures for the value of the exemption from  (a) income tax and  (b) corporation tax of profits from timber sales in each year since 1997 are not available.

UN Sanctions Lists

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the identified assets linked to an individual on UN sanctions lists were disposed of.

Edward Balls: As stated in my written answer of 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 732W, the Al-Qaeda and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 freezes the assets of persons listed by the UN Sanctions Committee under UN Security Council resolution 1390 as members of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, or associated with them, or persons subject to a direction by the Treasury. However the assets remain the property of those persons and therefore the assets cannot be disposed of.

Unemployment: Sunderland

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of unemployment in the Sunderland city council area was in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 December 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (110062)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces estimates of total unemployment for unitary and local authorities from a statistical model.
	Table 1, attached, shows the number of unemployed people, and unemployment rates, resident in the Sunderland city council area for the 12 months ending in February 1997 and for the 12 months ending March 2006, These estimates are subject to variability related to the model.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached, shows the average number of people resident in the Sunderland city council area, claiming JSA for the 12 months ending November 1997 and for the 12 months ending in November 2006. The table also includes these figures expressed a proportion of the resident population of working age.
	
		
			  Table 1: Unemployed persons resident in the Sunderland city council area 
			  12 months ending  Level ( 1) Rate (%) 
			 February 1997 15,100 12,6 
			 March 2006 8,300 6.4 
			 (1) Unemployed as a percentage of the economically active population.  Note:  Estimates are subject to random variability. Changes in the estimates over time should be treated with particular caution.  Source:  Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Average number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance resident in the Sunderland city council area 
			  12 months ending  Total ( 1) Proportion (%) 
			 November 1997 11,294 6.3 
			 November 2006 5,998 3.4 
			 (1) Claimants as percentage of the resident working-age population.  Source:  Jobcentre Plus administrative-data

Visits

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 981W, on the Paymaster General, whether he has visited a tax credit  (a) contact centre,  (b) office and  (c) IT development office in the last 18 months; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Treasury Ministers regularly undertake visits to Government establishments, including offices of HM Revenue and Customs.

Volunteering

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the Treasury's staff took one day's paid leave to participate in volunteering in each financial year since this scheme was established.

John Healey: Treasury does not hold records centrally on the number of Treasury staff who take paid leave to participate in volunteering.

Working Families Tax Credit

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in London were in receipt of working families tax credit in each of the last five years, broken down by constituency.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 7 December 2006
	Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04 Geographical Analysis" and the "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05 Geographical Analysis". These publications and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families by constituency with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.
	Estimates of the number of recipient families of working families tax credit from 2001-02, broken down by constituency, appear in the HMRC quarterly WFTC and DPTC geographical analyses. These publications are also available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/wftc/wfdptc_geog.htm.

Written Submissions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many formal written submissions he has received from his Department's civil servants in the last 12 months; and to how many of these submissions he has made a formal response.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials are in continuous dialogue.

TRANSPORT

Rail Services

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what change there has been in the use of light railways in the last 10 years.

Tom Harris: In the last 10 years, the number of passenger journeys made by light rail has increased by 123 per cent. from 73 million in 1995-96 to 162 million in 2005-06.

Rail Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to increase capacity on the railways; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Since 1996-97 the number of passenger journeys on the railway has increased by 35 per cent. Current forecasts suggest that this trend will continue.
	Next summer the Government will publish their High Level Output Specification, stating what they wish to purchase from the railway over the regulatory Control Period until 2014. A central element will be of the increases in capacity that they wish to purchase.

Rail Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future capacity of the railways.

Tom Harris: Since 1996-97 the number of passenger journeys on the railway has increased by 35 per cent. Current forecasts suggest that this trend will continue.
	Next summer the Government will publish their High Level Output Specification, stating what they wish to purchase from the railway over the regulatory Control Period until 2014. A central element will be of the increases in capacity that they wish to purchase.

Roads: Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will visit Kettering to discuss local highways during his visit to Northamptonshire on 10 January 2007.

Stephen Ladyman: Unfortunately, due to parliamentary business, I will be unable to visit Northamptonshire as intended on 10 January, but I hope to be able reschedule for a later date. As part of any visit, I would certainly hope to visit Kettering to discuss local highway and other transport infrastructure issues.

Bus Services

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on levels of bus usage.

Gillian Merron: The Government are committed to seeing an increase in bus use. Patronage in England has risen by over 7 per cent. since 2000, although growth is patchy. This is why, last week, we published proposals which aim to bring about better bus services for all of our communities.

Bus Services

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on levels of bus usage.

Gillian Merron: The Government are committed to seeing an increase in bus use. Patronage in England has risen by over 7 per cent. since 2000, although growth is patchy. This is why, last week, we published proposals which aim to bring about better bus services for all of our communities.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link

Chris Mole: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the channel tunnel rail link section 2 to St. Pancras to be completed.

Tom Harris: I expect section 2 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (or high speed one) into St. Pancras to be opened for Eurostar passenger services commencing on Wednesday 14 November 2007.

Fuel Duty: Congestion

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effect on congestion of increases in fuel duty.

Stephen Ladyman: We do not assess the impacts of tax as that is an issue for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who takes account of economic, environmental and social considerations when setting tax.
	However, modelling suggest that raising fuel duty would be significantly less efficient than road pricing as a means of reducing congestion.

Boys-Smith Review

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the implementation of the Boys-Smith review of airport security; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Since the Secretary of State's statement of 20 July officials have been engaging with stakeholders on the detail of the recommendations. The Secretary of State intends to make a further statement in the new year.

Freight Transport: Water

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the implications of recent reductions in the budget for British Waterways for freight transport by water.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads on inland waterways, but officials from the two Departments do meet on a regular basis to discuss issues of mutual interest, including freight transport on the inland waterways. However, it is ultimately a matter for navigation authorities to prioritise their activities in the light of competing demands for available resources.

Air Safety

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set up a committee answerable to him charged with auditing the direct effect of European legislation on  (a) air safety and regulation engineers through the European Aviation Safety Agency and  (b) boat safety and regulation of boatmen through new directives; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Government receive regular, comprehensive advice from the Civil Aviation Authority and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the direct effect of European legislation in these sectors. We are satisfied that these arrangements provide the Government with adequate information.

Airport Expansion

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential impact of airport expansion on greenhouse gas emissions from  (a) passenger aircraft and  (b) cargo aircraft using British airports.

Gillian Merron: Forecast carbon dioxide emissions from UK aviation are reported in "Aviation and Global Warming", paragraph 3.56:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_aviation/documents/page/dft_aviation_031850.pdf

Airport Expansion

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice has been given to local councils about the length of time before decisions are taken on applications for regional airport expansion.

Gillian Merron: No specific guidance has been issued to local councils in relation to planning applications for airport expansion.

Airport Security

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Department's budget is for security improvements at British airports in 2006-07.

Gillian Merron: Government policy is that the UK aviation industry meets the costs of security—as it does other running costs—and to pass these on to the consumer as appropriate.
	The Department does fund the Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate (TRANSEC) which carries out the Department's regulatory responsibilities for transport security and as part of that funds a programme of research and provides training aids to encourage improvements in transport security in the UK.
	The TRANSEC Annual Report 2005-06 provides further details. This can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transsec/documents/page/dft_transsec_612233.hcsp

Bus Overcrowding

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how his Department measures overcrowding on buses.

Gillian Merron: The maximum carrying capacity of a bus is established and marked on the vehicle before it enters service. There is no formal measurement of overcrowding while in use, but in accordance with regulations 5 and 7 of the Public Service Vehicle (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984, drivers and operators have a legal responsibility to ensure buses are not driven if the carrying capacity is exceeded.
	The Department has monitored bus passenger satisfaction in England since 2000-01, publishing results every quarter. These surveys show that most passengers are satisfied that buses are not overcrowded. The statistics are available on the Department's website.

Consultants

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many consultants are working for his Department.

Gillian Merron: Details of how many consultants are working for the Department at any time are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, 571 different companies worked for the central Department and its agencies during financial year 2005-06 for which the work undertaken was recorded as consultancy.

Departmental Equipment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's  (a) computers and  (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002, and the following numbers of computers and laptops have been reported stolen from the central Department and its agencies since then:
	
		
			   Computers  Laptops 
			 2002-03 5 14 
			 2003-04 26 14 
			 2004-05 7 18 
			 2005-06 8 17 
			 2006-07 12 18 
		
	
	The total value of the above was £132,000.

Departmental Expenditure

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total budget for his Department will be if spending on transport is increased in real terms by 2.5 per cent. in each year until 2015.

Gillian Merron: The total budget for the Department in 2014-15, if spending on transport is increased in real terms by 2.5 per cent. in each year, is estimated at £17.3 billion.

Departmental Finance

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of gross domestic product was allocated to his Department in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport's final budget allocations for financial years 2002-03 (its first year in its current form) to 2005-06 can be found in the Department's spring supplementary estimates for those years (House of Commons publications HC424, HC 350, HC 325 and HC 827, respectively), available in the House of Commons library.
	GDP figures at current (cash) prices are available from the HM Treasury website by following this link:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic_data-and_tools/gdp_deflators/data_gdp_fig.cfm.

Departmental Staff

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the effective date is for annual pay awards to his Department's staff; and what the actual implementation date has been in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 12 December 2006
	Pay arrangements below the senior civil service (SCS) are delegated to Departments. Under the delegated arrangements, Departments are responsible for managing their own pay negotiations. SCS pay is not negotiated. DfT(C) is made up of a central Department with various agencies, each a separate pay bargaining unit who negotiate and implement their own pay settlements. The effective date of annual pay awards is 1 August each year with the exception of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) and the SCS who both have a settlement date of 1 April.
	
		
			  Department  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 SCS Not known June 2003 July 2004 June 2005 July 2006 and November 2006 (staged award) 
		
	
	
		
			  Department  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 DfT (C) November 2002 February 2004 November 2004 February 2006 (Bands 1 & 2) March 2006 (Bands 3-7) November 2006 
			 Driving Standards Agency October 2002 February 2004 September 2004 December 2005 Still under negotiation 
			 Highways Agency October 2002 February 2004 December 2004 November 2005 November 2006 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency March 2003 August 2003 August 2004 November 2005 Still under negotiation 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency October 2002 October 2003 October 2004 November 2005 October 2006 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency August 2002 August 2003 August 2004 August 2005 August 2006 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency August 2002 April 2004 August 2004 August 2005 August 2006 (Pay progression) December 2006 (Revalorised steps) 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency (Industrial) December 2002 December 2003 October 2004 October 2005 August 2006 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency (Non-industrial) August 2002 April 2004 May 2004 January 2006 October 2006

East Coast Main Line

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most overcrowded train was on the East Coast main line in the last 12 months.

Tom Harris: At the time of the most recent passenger census in December 2005, the most heavily loaded train on the East Coast Main Line was the 18.15 from London Kings Cross to Cambridge.

Eddington Report

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consult ministerial colleagues in the Department of Communities and Local Government to ensure that the Government take account of the findings of the Eddington report on  (a) congestion and  (b) avoidance of unnecessary journeys in formulating policy on future development of out-of-town grocery shopping venues.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport works closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure planning and transport policies are integrated and contribute to promoting more sustainable travel choices. We will continue to do so in the event of any proposals for revising the provisions in Planning Policy Guidance 13 on the location of new retail development. This aims to reduce the need to travel, thereby contributing to avoid unnecessary journeys and reduce congestion in urban areas, which the Eddington study identifies as a priority.

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by his Department on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000.

Gillian Merron: The Department was formed in May 2002. The Department has spent a total of £39,889,457.20 on furniture made by British firms since May 2002. The breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			   Spend (£) 
			 2002-03 4,064,176.02 
			 2003-04 11,511,281.12 
			 2004-05 13,539,856.68 
			 2005-06 5,935,787.26 
			 2006 to date 4,838,356.12 
			 Total 39,889,457.20

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent by his Department and its associated public bodies in order to achieve Gershon efficiency savings; whether these costs have been included in reports of headline efficiency savings; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Sir Peter Gershon's independent report into public sector efficiency did not require that efficiencies be recorded net of costs and the Department for Transport has followed this advice. The Department does not hold central information on the total cost of achieving its efficiency gains going back to the start of the programme and such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much efficiency savings have been made in his Department and its associated public bodies as a result of the Gershon Review; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department's latest figures for efficiency gains are for Quarter 2 of the 2006-07 financial year, and these have been published in the Department's Autumn Performance Report.

Highways Agency: Contracts

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts have been entered into by the Highways Agency and its predecessor under the terms and conditions of the fifth edition of the ICE conditions of contract since the publication of the sixth edition of the ICE conditions of contract in January 1991; and on what date the most recent such contract was entered into.

Stephen Ladyman: A comprehensive answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Highways Agency awarded at least 37 contracts above £5 million in value under the terms and conditions of the fifth edition of the ICE conditions of contract after January 1991. The most recent of these was awarded on 30 October 2001.

Kemble to Swindon Line

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the five stages are which apply to the construction of a new piece of railway line; what stage the Kemble to Swindon line has reached; and what the timetable is for completion of that line.

Tom Harris: The proposal to redouble the Swindon-Kemble single line is listed in Network Rail's Business Plan 2006 as infrastructure investment under consideration by Network Rail. My hon. Friend should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question.
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Motorway Network

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many lane kilometres there are on the motorway network in England.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency is responsible for managing 19,173 lane kilometres of motorway which accounts for almost all of the motorway network in England. Responsibility for the motorway network in the rest of Britain lies with the Scottish Executive, the Transport Directorate of the Welsh Assembly, and the Northern Ireland Road Service.

Non-slip Road Surfaces

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department gives to the  (a) Highways Agency and  (b) highway authorities on the use of non-slip road surfaces to minimise risks to motorcycles.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 18 December 2006
	The Highways Agency has developed its own guidance on the use of non-slip road surfaces, which is published in the Agency's Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (standard HD 36, 'Surfacing Materials for New and Maintenance Construction') and the Specification for Highway Works (series 900). The guidance is aimed at minimising risks for all road users and does not segregate needs by vehicle types.
	Local highway authorities set their own highways condition standards. "Well-maintained Highways"(TSO, 2005), the code of practice for highways maintenance management, reminds local authorities that the maintenance of adequate levels of skidding resistance is of particular importance for riders of motorcycles and encourages authorities to publish their skid resistance strategies.

Non-slip Road Surfaces

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has commissioned into non-slip road surfaces.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 18 December 2006
	Substantial research was completed by the Highways Agency in the 1990s on the use of non-slip road surfaces. This has been used to establish the Agency's current standards and policy on their use on trunk roads. At present, the Agency is carrying out research to establish whether the condition of non-slip road surface sites can be assessed by survey machines travelling at traffic speed. This research is expected to be completed in April 2007.

Personal Records

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what personal data held by his Department will be entered on to the National Identity Register; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Information that may be entered in the National Identity Register is specified at section 3 of, and schedule 1 to the Identity Cards Act 2006. This will be on the basis of fresh applications for registration when individuals apply for identity cards and there will be no bulk transfer of data to populate the National Identity Register. At present, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is in discussions with the Identity and Passport Service with regard to how information held by them could be used to verify identity in relation to future applications for a driving licence. However, no final decisions have yet been taken. There are currently no plans for any central Department for Transport datasets to be used to verify applications for registration on the NIR.

Public Finance Contracts

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total liability to his Department would be in circumstances of immediate termination of all  (a) public/private partnerships and  (b) public finance initiative contracts.

Gillian Merron: Voluntary termination of a PFI contract by the Secretary of State would result in compensation. The compensation would largely derive from loss of equity, outstanding senior and other debt and in respect of other outstanding liabilities of the PFI contractor to third parties. The calculation of these liabilities would vary from contract to contract.
	PFI contracts may be terminated early for other reasons. This could include contractor default or force majeure. The contract terms that apply in these circumstances vary from those that would apply in the case of voluntary termination and are typically individually negotiated to reflect contract specific issues.
	It is, therefore, not possible to calculate the Department's total PFI termination liability. The amount would vary from contract to contract, when the event occurred and may be subject to negotiation with the PFI contractor.

Public Opinion Research

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: An estimate of the total amount spent on public opinion research by the Department and its Agencies in each of the last five financial years is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 2,152,578 
			 2003-04 3,295,768 
			 2004-05 2,123,801 
			 2005-06 2,605,754 
			 2006-07 3,333,829

Public Transport

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) local and  (b) national targets have been set by his Department for the take-up of public transport since 1997; and what progress against each target has been made.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 12 December 2006
	The Department does not set local targets for public transport. It does advise local authorities (outside London) that targets for 14 to 17 indicators (depending on local circumstances) should be included within their local transport plans. The indicators are listed in annexe A of the Department's Full Guidance on Local Transport Plans (December 2004), which is published on the Department's website. The levels of all targets set are matters for local authorities to determine within the context of their overall priorities.
	Nationally, public service agreement (PSA) targets have been set every two years as part of the Spending Review. Since 1997 there have been four reviews: the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review, and the 2000, 2002 and 2004 Spending Reviews.
	Preparations for the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 are now under way. Performance against all PSA targets is reported in the departmental annual report. Since 2002, performance has also been reported in the Department's autumn performance reports. These are available on the Department's website.

Public Transport

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people travelled on public transport in London in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The number of journeys on Transport for London's (and its predecessors') public transport services—buses, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, Croydon Tramlink—over the last 10 years are as follows:
	
		
			  Public transport journeys in London, annual totals 1995-96 to 2005-06 
			  Million journeys 
			   Bus  Underground  DLR  Croydon Tramlink( 1)  Total 
			 1995-96 1,198 784 14.5 — 1,996.5 
			 1996-97 1,234 772 16.7 — 2,022.7 
			 1997-98 1,277 832 21.4 — 2,130.4 
			 1998-99 1,267 866 27.6 — 2,160.6 
			 1999-2000 1,296 927 30.9 — 2,253.9 
			 2000-01 1,354 970 38.4 — 2,362.4 
			 2001-02 1,430 953 41.3 18.6 2,442.9 
			 2002-03 1,536 942 45.7 19.2 2,542.9 
			 2003-04 1,702 948 48.5 19.8 2,718.3 
			 2004-05 1,793 976 50.1 21.8 2,840.9 
			 2005-06 1,816 971 53.0 22.5 2,862.5 
			 (1) Croydon Tramlink opened in 2000. 
		
	
	The number of journeys on National Rail to and from London are as follows:
	
		
			  National Rail journeys to/from London 
			   Journeys (million) 
			 2001-02 497.4 
			 2002-03 509.0 
			 2003-04 580.0 
			 2004-05 681.1 
			 2005-06 777.0 
		
	
	There is a disproportionate cost associated with obtaining National Rail data for earlier years.

Railway Security

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many security guards are employed on the railways.

Tom Harris: The employment of security guards is a matter for individual train operators. Information on the numbers employed is not held by the Department for Transport.

Recruitment: Advertising

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on recruitment advertising in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport was established in May 2002. The Department uses the most appropriate publication for recruitment advertising, be it national, regional, trade magazine or website depending on the nature of the vacancy.
	Following are the costs incurred by DfT(central) in recruitment advertising in all grades together with advertising SCS jobs with Executive agencies. DfT(c) manage all SCS recruitment for the Department and its agencies. The following figures for the Department incorporate this and are not separated by SCS and non SCS recruitment.
	
		
			   Recruitment costs (£) 
			 2003-04 403,605.10 
			 2004-05 472,277.65 
			 2005-06 199,789.44 
		
	
	Advertising costs for recruitment below the senior civil service in DfT's Executive agencies are as follows;
	
		
			   Advertising costs for recruitment (£) 
			  DVLA  
			 2003-04 179,473.00 
			 2004-05 154,197.00 
			 2005-06 74,766.00 
			   
			  DSA  
			 2003-04 498,655.62 
			 2004-05 536,620.34 
			 2005-06 90,771.69 
			   
			  MCA  
			 2003-04 218,251.07 
			 2004-05 167,511.82 
			 2005-06 222,906.98 
			   
			  GCDA  
			 2003-04 16,361.00 
			 2004-05 22,546.00 
			 2005-06 6,900.00 
			   
			  VOSA  
			 2003-04 530,267.00 
			 2004-05 449,099.00 
			 2005-06 318,494.00 
			   
			  HA  
			 2003-04 471,313.26 
			 2004-05 500,309.00 
			 2005-06 (1)1,017,294.00 
			   
			   
			  VCA  
			 2003-04 (2)— 
			 2004-05 19,556.00 
			 2005-06 31,158.08 
			 (1 )High figure attributed to the recruitment of the Traffic Officer Service. (2 )No information available. 
		
	
	This information updates the answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 17-18W.

Road Pricing Scheme

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for a national road user pricing scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: A national scheme will be a significant task. For now, we want to focus on local pilot schemes, implemented within the next four to five years, to test the technology, gain experience in different communities and increase public awareness.
	Present estimates suggest a national road pricing scheme could be feasible by about the middle of the next decade.

Special Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's civil servants work full-time to support departmental special advisers; and what the salary is of each such civil servant.

Gillian Merron: One full-time civil servant at pay band 4L (Higher Executive Officer) level and one at pay band 3L (Executive Officer) level provide support to the Special Advisers to the Department for Transport. Their respective salary ranges are £28,463 to £34,710 and £24,030 to £27,714.

Sustainable Communities Plan

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding will be available in 2007-08 to support the amelioration of traffic congestion for growth areas within the Sustainable Communities Plan; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: We have committed nearly £4 billion of investment in transport infrastructure improvements in the growth areas. Separately, the community infrastructure fund (GIF) will deliver 26 transport schemes specifically aimed at facilitating housing development in these areas. The total GIF fund is £200 million: £50 million to be spent in 2006-07 and £150 million in 2007-08.
	In addition, we are supporting (through integrated transport block allocations) investment by local authorities in smaller scale projects, delivered in their local transport plans.
	This investment will help to deliver a number of outcomes—including reducing traffic congestion—in order to support the housing development set out in the Sustainable Communities Plan.

Track Conversions

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the conversion of main and branch line track to light passenger railway use in loss-making areas; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Government do not have a general policy of converting main and branch line track to light rail. In particular circumstances it may be economically sensible to convert lines to light rail as part of a locally promoted scheme (as it was in Manchester for example). Use of lighter rail technology may offer benefits on other lines—but it is primarily for the industry, and especially Network Rail, to determine the benefits of such a change.

Transport Infrastructure

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by his Department on capital projects in transport infrastructure in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: Identifiable capital expenditure on transport infrastructure by region is published in tables 7.5b to 7.10b of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2006, Cm 6811. Information on prior years may not be available on a comparable basis.

Transport Schemes

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which schemes have been funded by  (a) the Community Infrastructure,  (b) Growth Area and  (c) Growth Point Funds since each fund's inception; how much each scheme cost; and which of the schemes are (i) public, (ii) road and (iii) other transport schemes.

Gillian Merron: Information on the schemes funded by the Community Infrastructure Fund is set out in the following table. While the Department works closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on Growth Areas, the funding for Growth Point Funds are the responsibility for DCLG.
	
		
			  Community infrastructure fund—approved schemes 
			  Scheme name  Growth area  Total GIF allocation (£ million)  Mode 
			 A602 Improvements South of Stevenage LSCP 3.12 Road 
			 Bishops Stortford Green Corridors LSCP 1.98 Road 
			 Cambridge Station Area Access LSCP 0.60 Road 
			 Dalston Slab LSCP 10.00 Rail 
			 Great Notley Garden Village Access LSCP 4.80 Road 
			 Haringey Heartlands Spine Road LSCP 5.00 Road 
			 Peterborough Fletton Parkway LSCP 7.01 Road 
			 Aylesbury Vale Parkway MKSM 8.17 Rail 
			 Aylesbury PT Hub and Southcourt Bridge MKSM 14.38 Bus/Cycling and Walking(1) 
			 Corby Northern Orbital Road MKSM 6.10 Road 
			 Cross Valley Link Northampton MKSM 9.69 Road 
			 East Luton Corridor Improvements MKSM 14.50 Road 
			 M1 Junction 14 MKSM 8.42 Road 
			 Milton Keynes Station MKSM 24.00 Rail 
			 Sandy Lane Improvements MKSM 5.72 Road 
			 Sandy Lane Relief Road MKSM 4.51 Road 
			 Wilby Way Roundabout MKSM 1.30 Road 
			 Fastrack—Greenhithe Stn/lngress TG 5.24 Bus 
			 Fastrack Thames Way TG 8.12 Bus 
			 Fryerns/Craylands, Basildon TG 5.90 Road 
			 Langdon Park DLR TG 5.70 Light Rail 
			 London Transits TG 34.00 Bus 
			 Pontoon Dock Station Bridge TG 1.34 Light Rail 
			 Tidal Basin Roundabout TG 0.96 Road 
			 Woolwich New Road TG 2.62 Road 
			 Total  193.17  
			 (1) £11.42 million Bus; £2.96 million Cycling and Walking  Notes:  Key to Growth Areas: LSCP—London/Stansted/Cambridge/Peterborough MKSM—Milton Keynes/South Midlands TG—Thames Gateway  Breakdown by transport mode Bus total—£58.78 million Road total—£82.22 million Rail total—£42.17 million Light rail total—£7.04 million Cycling and walking total—£2.96 million

Travel Concession Scheme

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many claims have been made against each authority in respect of reimbursement claims under the Travel Concession Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: 60 appeals were lodged with the Secretary of State against concessionary travel schemes introduced on 1 April 2006. A further two appeals were lodged in October regarding modifications to the Oxford city council scheme. The following table below shows the current position.
	
		
			  Appeals against 2006-07 concessionary fares schemes 
			  Scheme  Decided  Pending  Deferred  Withdrawn 
			 Bedfordshire Countywide 1 0 0 0 
			 Bristol area travel scheme 0 1 0 0 
			 Cherwell District Council 0 0 0 1 
			 Devon Countywide 1 2 0 0 
			 Dorset Countywide 4 1 0 1 
			 East Sussex 0 1 0 1 
			 Essex Countywide 0 3 0 1 
			 Gloucestershire 0 2 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester PTE 0 7 0 2 
			 Hampshire Gountywide 1 2 0 1 
			 Harrogate (for York) 0 1 0 0 
			 Kent Countywide 0 0 0 2 
			 Merseytravel 0 1 0 0 
			 Norfolk Countywide 0 3 0 1 
			 Oxford City Council 0 0 2 0 
			 Redditch Borough 0 1 0 0 
			 South Oxfordshire District 0 0 0 1 
			 South Yorkshire PTE 0 2 0 0 
			 Suffolk Countywide 0 2 0 0 
			 Warwickshire Countywide 1 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands PTE 0 3 0 1 
			 West Yorkshire PTE 0 1 0 0 
			 Wiltshire Countywide 4 1 0 2 
		
	
	The determinations of the appeals are notified to the applicant bus operator and the travel concession authority as they are made. It is a matter for each party to decide whether to publicise the outcome more widely.

Travel Concession Scheme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people in Coventry claimed under the Travel Concession Scheme in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally, but can be obtained from the relevant local authority.

UK Airports

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the expected number of  (a) air passengers,  (b) aircraft movements and  (c) tonnes of freight at UK airports in (i) 2040 and (ii) 2050.

Gillian Merron: Air passengers and air transport movements were modelled to 2030 so as to help in the development of the policies set out in the Air Transport White Paper. For the purposes of forecasting emissions to 2050 assumptions were made about later passenger growth. These are shown in paragraph 3.55 of "Aviation and Global Warming"—this can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_aviation/documents/page/dft_aviation_031850.pdf
	No forecasts of freight tonnage have been made.

SCOTLAND

Act of Union

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will discuss with the Royal Mail issuing a stamp commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union.

David Cairns: The Royal Mail does not intend to issue stamps specifically commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union. However, in conjunction with the Royal Mint, a special coin cover will be issued to mark the anniversary. The coin cover will include Union Flag stamps from the Royal Mail's customised stamp portfolio, postmarks and the Royal Mint commemorative two-pound coin.

Bonus Payments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department each year since 2001-02; and how many civil servants received bonuses in each year.

David Cairns: Staff in the Scotland Office are seconded from the Scottish Executive and the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) which each have bonus schemes, part of which relate to annual performance. The Scotland Office does not hold information on bonus payments under the annual performance elements. Under each scheme, the Office may also directly authorise bonus payments for the achievement of particular objectives and the following table shows the number and cost of such non-pensionable bonuses awarded.
	
		
			  Payment year  Total number of bonuses  Total cost of bonuses (£) 
			 2001-02 4 950 
			 2002-03 9 3,300 
			 2003-04 6 2,800 
			 2004-05 3 1,400 
			 2005-06 8 3,750

Bonus Payments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what criteria a civil servant in his Department must fulfil  (a) to be considered for a bonus on top of their regular salary and  (b) to be awarded a bonus.

David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and the Office applies the relevant Special Bonus Scheme or Reward and Recognition Scheme of those Departments to each member of staff.
	These schemes provide for a bonus to be paid in the event of exceptional performance over the year as identified in an officer's annual report, as part of the annual pay remuneration arrangements. The schemes also provide for special bonuses to be awarded for outstanding performance in delivering a particular task or objective; any proposal to pay a special bonus requires the prior approval of the Head of Office.
	The bonus arrangements for the two senior civil service posts in the Scotland Office are handled by the appropriate parent Department as part of the performance appraisal system.

Departmental Energy Policy

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure that his Department becomes carbon neutral.

David Cairns: New sustainable operations targets for the Government Estate were announced on 12 June 2006 by the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, These targets included a commitment for a carbon neutral central Government Office Estate by 2012.
	The Scotland Office subscribes to the principles of environmental performance adopted by the Department for Constitutional Affairs and adheres to the same cross-Government targets.

Departmental Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on statistics relating to the work of his Department in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: There is no definition of the term "statistics relating to the work of the Department" and no centrally held information on either the volume or costs of statistics published each year on this basis.
	Estimates for the annual costs of National Statistics are contained in the relevant National Statistics Annual Report and Accounts, which is available on the National Statistics website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1051. Copies are also available in the Library for the reference of Members.
	The last year these were produced was 2004-05.

Dover House

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what hospitality events were held at Dover House pursuant to paragraph 3.12 of the annual report of the Advocate-General.

David Cairns: The 16 events mentioned in the annual report were as follows:
	
		
			   Event 
			 1 June 2005(1) Earl Haig Fund Scotland reception 
			 11 June 2005 Secretary of State's reception for HM The Queen's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) 
			 15 June 2005(1) CBI Scotland reception 
			 27 June 2005 Advocate-General for Scotland's Summer Legal reception 
			 29 June 2005(1) Royal Academy Patrons and Friends reception 
			 8 September 2005(1) Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel reception 
			 19 October 2005(1) Earl Haig Fund annual London launch of the Scottish Poppy Appeal reception 
			 18 October 2005(1) Wild Trout Trust Conservation Awards reception 
			 23 October 2005 Advocate-General for Scotland's reception for joint meeting of Inner Temple and Faculty of Advocates 
			 17 November 2005 Office of the Advocate-General - Legal Talk/Event 
			 22 November 2005(1) Scottish Development International reception 
			 23 November 2005(1) Energy Action Scotland reception 
			 28 November 2005(1) Scottish Screen Industries reception 
			 30 November 2005 Secretary of State's lunch for Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 
			 6 December 2005(1) Scottish Consumer Council reception 
			 13 December 2005(1) Scotch Whisky Association reception 
			 (1) Denotes an event financed by the named host organisation.

Legal Advice

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent by the Department on external legal advice in each of the past five years.

David Cairns: The Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland provides any necessary legal advice to the Scotland Office; the Scotland Office has incurred no expenditure on legal advice from private solicitors.

Ministerial Duties

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on which dates in the last month he  (a) attended his Department's offices (i) in London and (ii) in Edinburgh,  (b) dealt with departmental business (i) in the House and (ii) elsewhere and  (c) undertook other engagements in his official capacity.

David Cairns: holding answer 4 December 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State attends his Department's offices in London and Edinburgh as appropriate for the conduct of business. During November, official business outside the departmental offices was conducted on nine days. Information on the Department's business in the House is a matter of public record.
	All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers".

Ministerial Travel

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the occasions since he has held his present office when he has used  (a) rail services,  (b) the London Underground,  (c) tram or light railway services and  (d) buses in connection with his ministerial duties.

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport (Gillian Merron) on 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 736W.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  how many parliamentary written questions his Office received in each parliamentary session since 2001; and how many of these questions  (a) were not answered because of disproportionate cost,  (b) were not answered,  (c) received answers referring back to a previous answer (i) asked by the hon. Member and (ii) asked by another hon. Member and  (d) were grouped together for answer;
	(2)  what target his Office has for the maximum acceptable amount of time to answer parliamentary written questions; and what percentage of parliamentary answers met that target in each parliamentary session since 2001.

David Cairns: While some of this is a matter of public record, the information requested by individual category is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Wherever possible, Ministers aim to answer parliamentary questions within the time scales specified by Parliament, which is named day questions on the day named and ordinary written questions within a working week.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-190W, from the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-East (Mr. McFadden) to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden), on the retirement age, 
	(1)  what his Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the senior civil service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992;
	(2)  what his Department's policy is on the application of the national default retirement age to staff below the Senior Civil Service.

David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and consequently, the Office does not have its own policy. It is for those Departments to set the retirement ages for staff below the senior civil service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992. In essence, staff below SCS may remain at work after the national default retirement age, subject to satisfactory performance, attendance and conduct.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Libra Project

John Spellar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress has been made on the Libra project; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Libra project has already delivered modern computers to more than 12,000 staff working in magistrates courts, providing them with up-to-date tools, including email.
	The project is now working on delivery of a national case management system. This will replace multiple ageing IT systems, and will enable a consistent way of working across all magistrates courts in Her Majesty's Courts Service.
	The new system has been implemented, and is supporting live operations in 12 magistrates courts.

HM Court Service

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the reorganisation of HM Courts Service.

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the reorganisation of HM Court Service.

Harriet Harman: The reorganisation of HM Courts Service will be fully operational by April 2007. The new structure will contain 25 administrative areas, rather than the current 42. The restructure was communicated to key stakeholders and staff in July 2006.

Child Care Court Proceedings

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations she has received on child care court proceedings; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: I and my officials receive numerous representations about our work on child care court proceedings and regularly meet with interested stakeholders. Representations are made by other family justice agencies as well as those with a direct interest in care proceedings and children's involvement in the system, including the legal profession, the voluntary sector, the judiciary and, just as importantly, children and young people themselves.

Electoral Register

Andrew Love: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will place a duty on electoral registration officers to use all available databases to compile the electoral register.

Bridget Prentice: The Electoral Administration Act 2006 imposed a duty on electoral registration officers to take all necessary steps to maintain the register. These steps include inspecting any records that they are entitled to look at.

Bailiffs

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the system for the issue of bailif warrants.

Harriet Harman: We continually assess the court enforcement system, including the effectiveness of bailiff warrants that are enforced through magistrates courts, county courts and the High Court against those people who wilfully defy orders of the court.

Judicial Appointments Commission

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she last met the chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission to discuss the criteria for judicial appointments.

Harriet Harman: I met Baroness Prashar, Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission, in June 2006. This was an introductory meeting at which we discussed, in general terms, the Judicial Appointments Commission's work programme, including their approach to developing criteria for judicial appointments.

Access to Justice: East Cheshire

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she is taking to improve access to justice in East Cheshire.

Vera Baird: Macclesfield is well served by having a magistrates court and a county court with civil and family jurisdictions. Steps have been taken to centralise road traffic cases at Northwich, which will free up court time to deal with trials. To reduce trial backlogs additional district judges have been used since October. We are reviewing procedures for dealing with pre-trial reviews in order to increase the level of effective trials. We are taking a fresh look at proposals for reducing the number of remand courts across the county.

Voting Systems

Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of voting systems used in the UK.

Bridget Prentice: The Government review of the experiences of the new UK voting systems is currently being conducted by officials within the DCA. Any assessment on the findings of the review, and any decisions on next steps, will be taken in due course.

Carter Review

Celia Barlow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions she has held with legal practices about the proposals in the Carter review.

Vera Baird: Following publication of the joint Legal Services Commission/Department for Constitutional Affairs' consultation document on Lord Carter of Coles' final report on legal aid procurement, I toured the country over the summer to meet practitioners and to hear their views on the proposals. I held some 25 meetings in 12 different cities, meeting over 1,000 practitioners. Since the consultation closed on 12 October, I have had a further 19 meetings with practitioners. All of these meetings have played a role in shaping the new post-Carter DCA legal aid policy document, "The Way Ahead", which was published on 28 November 2006.

Carter Review

David Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations she has received from  (a) solicitors and  (b) barristers on the Carter review since its publication.

Vera Baird: My Department and the Legal Services Commission have received 2,372 formal responses to the consultation. This included 1,595 responses from solicitors and 469 responses from barristers, as well as submissions from the Law Society and the Bar Council.

Computer Security

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures her Department has taken since the incident in July 2006 to prevent further security breaches of computer databases.

Vera Baird: The Department already has robust security measures in place to protect our computer databases. The incident referred to in my previous answer related to a theft of IT equipment from departmental accommodation. Standards for the physical security of premises are well established and are kept under regular review.

Departmental Studies

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 655, on departmental studies, at what  (a) staff grade and  (b) cost threshold external studies can be commissioned independently by officials within her Department; and how many members of staff there are at that grade.

Bridget Prentice: Responsibility for commissioning resources in connection with external studies is delegated to individual budget holders. Budget holders are required to obtain prior approval depending on the estimated value of the work involved, as set out in the table.
	
		
			  Estimated contract value  Requirement for prior approval 
			 Up to £25,000.00 Head of Branch 
			 £25,000 to £50,000 Head of Division/Group 
			 £50,001 to £250,000 Head of Division/Group 
			 Over £50,000.00 (and single tender)—or over £250,000.00 Departmental Board Member 
		
	
	Accordingly, the task of commissioning such works does not rest with a specific group or grade of staff.

Freedom of Information

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which central Government Department granted the lowest percentage of Freedom of Information Act requests in full in the most recent quarter for which figures are available.

Vera Baird: The most recent quarter for which figures are available is July- September 2006 (Q3). The Q3 2006 FOI monitoring bulletin has been published today and copies have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament. It is also available online at:
	http://www.foi.gov.uk/reference/statisticsAndReports.htm
	The Q3 bulletin shows that, of all central Government Departments, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office granted the lowest percentage of Freedom of Information Act resolvable requests in full during this quarter.

Freedom of Information

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans her Department has to consult the public on its plans to amend Freedom of Information Act regulations.

Vera Baird: On Thursday 14 December my Department launched a public consultation on the draft amendments to the fees regulations. This consultation paper can be found on our departmental website.

Jury Service

William McCrea: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the  (a) lower end and  (b) upper end age limits are at which people may carry out jury service in Northern Ireland.

Bridget Prentice: The Juries (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 at Article 3(1) sets out the age limits for jury service as being persons aged between 18 and 70 years old and who are registered as an elector.

Knowledge Network

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 346-47W, on the Knowledge Network, what the functions of  (a) Forward Look and  (b) the CCS Cross-Government exercise database are; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	The Forward Look Database has two main functions:
	To assist policy officials and Better Regulation Units within Government Departments to capture information relating to policy development and the completion of supporting regulatory impact assessments, which are used to analyse the likely impacts of the policy and the range of options for implementing them; and
	To assist the Better Regulation Executive to monitor and scrutinise the completion of these regulatory impact assessments.
	Final versions of each regulatory impact assessment are then published on departmental websites.
	The Government Exercise Database holds summary information on significant resilience exercises involving participation or sponsorship from central Government Departments and their agencies including the Government offices for the regions.

Procurement Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 656, on procurement projects, how many project managers there are in her Department.

Bridget Prentice: The DCA currently has approximately 100-120 projects. These range from small projects that are often run by project managers as part of their other job requirements, through to large-scale, complex projects with full-time project managers assigned to them. As project managers are allocated when necessary it is not possible to give an accurate figure of how many are in my department without incurring disproportionate cost.

Public Bodies: Staff

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of staff of each public body responsible to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs were  (a) on fixed term appointments and  (b) agency workers in each of the last three years.

Vera Baird: The number of temporary staff (i.e. those on short-term contracts) in each year that records are available is set out in the following table. These figures are as at 1 April for each year and appear on the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/archive/index.asp
	My Department has a national contract with Kelly Services Ltd. for the provision of agency staff. Information regarding the average number of staff employed through this agency appears in the following table. Information relating to workers employed through other employment agencies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information related to agencies of DCA is also included in the table showing the average number of staff employed through employment agencies by each of the DCA's agencies. HM Land Registry does not hold such information centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			(a) Fixed term appointments (headcount as at 1 April/not FTE)  (b) Agency workers (average number employed in the financial year) 
			   Department and public body  Fixed term appointments  Total staff (civil servants only)  Percentage of staff  Agency workers  Total staff (civil servants and agency)  Percentage of staff 
			 1 April 2003 (FTA figure) (DCA) LCD/Court Service 470 12,700 3.70 283 12,983 2.18 
			 1 April 2003-31 March 2004 (agency figure) PGO 0 310 0 100 410 24.39 
			  HM Land Registry 110 9,050 1.21 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			  National Archives 30 560 5.35 199 759 26.22 
			  Northern Ireland Court Service 0 751 0 95 846 11.23 
			 1 April 2004 (FTA figure) (DCA) Court Service/Wales Office 500 12,960 3.85 395 13,355 2.96 
			 1 April 2004-31 March 2005 (agency figure) PGO 0 290 0 80 370 21.62 
			  HM Land Registry 40 8,720 0.45 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			  National Archives 30 570 5.26 121 691 17.51 
			  Northern Ireland Court Service 0 764 0 49 813 6.02 
			 1 April 2005 (FTA figure) (DCA)/HM Court Service/Wales Office 496 13,126 ((2)Mags 11,980 joined) total 25,106 1.98 722 25,828 2.79 
			 1 April 2005-31 March 2006 (agency figure) PGO 1 335 0.29 74 409 18.09 
			  HM Land Registry (1)— 8,892 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			  National Archives 54 608 8.88 167 608 27.47 
			  Northern Ireland Court Service 0 770 0 94 864 10.88 
			 (1) Information not available (2) Her Majesty's Court Service was created on 1 April 2005. 11,980 staff from the magistrates court joined the Court Service.

Renewable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 657, on renewable energy, what plans her Department has to increase the amount of energy acquired from renewable sources.

Vera Baird: My Department joined the Office of Government Commerce buying solutions framework for energy supply on 1 November 2006. The sites supplied through the framework by British Gas all receive electricity from renewable sources and exempt from the climate change levy. We are currently mid-way through migrating our sites onto the framework, which will increase the overall renewable energy received and in addition two of our larger sites, the Royal Courts of Justice and Selbourne House receive renewable energy.

WALES

Departmental Studies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 599W, on departmental studies, what the purpose of each project listed was.

Peter Hain: The consultancy fees referred to were paid for the work shown in the following list:
	Eduserv—website design
	Helen Bennett—legal consultancy services while the Wales Office was recruiting a new legal adviser
	Inbucon—review of staffing of the Wales Office
	Unisys—advice how to integrate our electronic file storage system
	ER Consultants—help drawing up and taking forward our change programme.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is on the application of the national default retirement age to staff below the Senior Civil Service.

Peter Hain: Staff serving in the Wales Office are either on loan from the Welsh Assembly Government or employed by the Department for Constitutional Affairs. Their individual retirement age is agreed with their home Departments rather than by the Wales Office. The Wales Office sets no standard retirement age and has a number of staff who have opted to work beyond normal retirement age.

Single Farm Payment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many farmers in Wales have received their 2006 single farm payment.

Peter Hain: As of 14 December 81 per cent. of eligible claims have been paid to 13,782 farmers, totalling £159 million.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biodiversity

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanism he plans to use to assess local authorities' performance in fulfilling their duty under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act to have regard to biodiversity conservation to meet his Department's commitment to review the effectiveness of the duty in 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The duty will not introduce any additional monitoring. However, local authorities' performance on biodiversity can be monitored using existing mechanisms. This includes the biodiversity action reporting system, the library of voluntary performance indicators and other performance indicators under development with the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Audit Commission and local government partners. Information on indicators under development can be found on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/resprog/findings/biodivperf-localauth/index.htm.
	Guidance being published in 2007, to support local authorities in implementing the duty, will also promote biodiversity indicators as a way to measure progress.
	It is intended that the biodiversity duty will encourage a culture change so that biodiversity is taken into account across the functions of local authorities, rather than being prescriptive. Due to the diverse nature of local authorities, the Government are keen to allow them flexibility in the approaches used to implement the duty. Therefore it is not feasible to ensure that local authorities use the exact same approach across the board.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of tonnes of carbon dioxide that will be emitted in  (a) 2010,  (b) 2020,  (c) 2030,  (d) 2040 and  (e) 2050 (i) from all UK sources (including air traffic at UK airports) and (ii) from air traffic at UK airports;
	(2)  how many tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted in  (a) 1990 and  (b) 2000 (i) from all UK sources (including from air traffic at UK airports) and (ii) from air traffic at UK airports.

Ian Pearson: The following table compares projected total UK carbon dioxide emissions from all sources and from aviation from 1990 to 2050, expressed as million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2).
	
		
			   Emissions from: 
			   All sources  Domestic and international aviation 
			 1990 592 17 
			 2000 546 32 
			 2010 496 40 
			 2020 507 55 
			 2030 — 65 
			 2040 — 67 
			 2050 — 64 
		
	
	The aviation data are consistent with the central case emissions forecast in the January 2004 White Paper "Aviation and Global Warming". The data on emissions from all sources are the average of the central cases in the 2006 Energy Review, including the effect of emissions trading and the policies included in the UK Climate Change Programme. Projections for all sources on this basis are not available beyond 2020. The data for total emissions from all sources include emissions from domestic flights, which currently account for about 7 per cent. of emissions from aviation at UK airports. The two columns cannot therefore be added without some overlap between the numbers.

Departmental Expenditure

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on bottled water since the last period for which figures were given in the answer of 19 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1461W, on departmental expenditure.

Barry Gardiner: The Department has spent £8,327.68 on bottled water between the periods of January to end November 2006.

Departmental Finance

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what departmental capital projects exceeded their original funding allocations in 2005-06.

Barry Gardiner: The Department does not currently allocate and account for its internal capital budgets by individual programmes or projects, although it is planning to introduce such changes from April 2007. Instead capital budgets are allocated and reported upon along functional lines to Directorates that oversee the policy area and to executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to sustain their asset base. For example, capital budgets are allocated to the DEFRA units responsible for the Departmental estate; IT; flood defence; and waste management. Many of these individual projects are then carried out by third parties such as local authorities. Because capital expenditure is captured in this format the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay Rates

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average hourly rate was paid for  (a) a member of staff employed at his Department and remunerated through an employment agency and  (b) a member of staff employed and remunerated directly by his Department in the latest period for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: The average hourly rate paid to civil servants covered by the core-Department's pay arrangements (core-DEFRA, State Veterinary Service, Pesticides Safety Directorate, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Service) is £13.21. From information held centrally, the mean hourly charge rate paid by DEFRA for staff engaged and remunerated through an employment agency is £10.38.

Emissions Trading Scheme

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress has been made on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 14 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1242W.

Flood Prevention

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 730W to the hon. Member for Southport(Dr. Pugh), on flood prevention, which flood prevention schemes  (a) will be and  (b) have been affected by the reduction of the Environment Agency's flood risk management budget for 2006-07.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 18 December 2006
	No current or planned capital flood risk improvement projects have been affected by the budget reduction in 2006-07. There has been a in-year reduction, however, in the scale of strategic assessment for works that may be needed in the longer term.

Forestry

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has carried out regarding the link between deforestation in the UK and carbon dioxide levels.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA commissions research at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology into emissions from land-use, land-use change and forestry, including deforestation. This work enables the UK to report these emissions as part of its annual inventory submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
	The following table shows the estimated greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation since 1990 expressed as million tonnes carbon equivalent and as a percentage of total UK emissions. New planting since 1990 has exceeded deforestation and by 2004 was responsible for removing about 0.59 million tonnes of carbon equivalent from the atmosphere.
	
		
			  UK emissions from deforestation and afforestation since 1990 
			   Deforestation  New planting  Net since 1990  All UK forest 
			   Million tonnes carbon equivalent  As percentage total UK greenhouse gas emissions  Million tonnes carbon equivalent  Million tonnes carbon equivalent  Million tonnes carbon equivalent 
			 1990 0.051 0.024 0.008 0.058 -3.328 
			 1991 0.051 0.024 0.048 0.099 -3.468 
			 1992 0.057 0.028 0.057 0.114 -3.638 
			 1993 0.050 0.025 0.034 0.084 -3.740 
			 1994 0.058 0.030 -0.012 0.046 -3.871 
			 1995 0.064 0.033 -0.076 -0.011 -3.804 
			 1996 0.076 0.038 -0.142 -0.067 -3.742 
			 1997 0.080 0.041 -0.214 -0.134 -3.685 
			 1998 0.084 0.044 -0.276 -0.192 -3.656 
			 1999 0.097 0.053 -0.335 -0.238 -3.683 
			 2000 0.106 0.058 -0.388 -0.282 -3.765 
			 2001 0.121 0.066 -0.433 -0.311 -3.913 
			 2002 0.112 0.062 -0.478 -0.366 -4.103 
			 2003 0.111 0.061 -0.533 -0.422 -4.267 
			 2004 0.107 0.059 -0.586 -0.479 -4.446 
		
	
	The increase in emissions from deforestation is largely due to the delayed effect of soil disturbance in earlier years of the period since 1990, rather than a proportionate increase in the deforestation rate. Afforestation results in a net removal of carbon from the atmosphere and is therefore represented as a negative emission. There is a small initial emission from new planting due to the disturbance of the soil.
	The UK greenhouse gas inventory including an account of the research by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology is available at http://www.naei.org.uk/index.php

Greenhouse Emissions

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on policies to combat emissions of greenhouse gases in each of the last 10 years.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 18 December 2006
	Since DEFRA's inception in June 2001, we have provided significant funding for a wide range of schemes that aim to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
	Headline programmes include:
	(i) those governed by the Carbon Trust, which leads in encouraging business and public sector energy efficiency and low carbon innovation
	(ii) the Energy Saving Trust, whose activities are aimed at increasing demand for household sector energy efficiency
	(iii) the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which reduces carbon emissions at least cost to industry
	(iv) the Climate Change Communications Initiative, which aims to change attitudes toward climate change within the general public, with a central focus on local, grass roots and regional engagement
	(v) and Energy Efficiency promotion.
	DEFRA is also active in the international arena, especially in relation to emerging economies including China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. Additionally, DEFRA contributes funding to a variety of research programmes, including the flagship Climate Prediction Programme at the Hadley Centre.
	DEFRA is currently spending more than £180 million each year on these headline activities to combat climate change and over twice as much as this on peripheral activities. Full and detailed historic figures for DEFRA's expenditure on all programmes that directly or indirectly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Local Site Systems

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how he plans to ensure the implementation of his Department's "Guidance on Local Site Systems" published in April 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: In April, DEFRA published guidance on the identification, selection and management of local sites in order to promote more transparent and consistent approaches in the operation of local sites systems. The overall objective is to create a more consistent sense of the value and importance of local sites. The guidance is available on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/ewd/local-sites/localsites.pdf.
	We are organising a local sites seminar, to be held on 25 January 2007, which is designed to promote the guidance further and enable practitioners to share good practice.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cars run by his Department were manufactured  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad.

Barry Gardiner: Information on cars operated by the Government Car and Despatch Agency is available on page 14 of its annual report and accounts 2005-06, copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members
	Vehicles for which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has direct control are obtained under the terms of cross-Government call-off contracts. Details of where these vehicles were manufactured are not recorded and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Private Finance Initiatives

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total capital value is of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by his Department which has reached financial close; over what period repayments will take place; and what the total cost of repayment will be.

Barry Gardiner: Details of the total capital value of each private finance initiative (PFI) scheme overseen by Defra, which has reached financial close, are shown in the following table. The table also shows the length of each contract over which the repayments will take place and the estimated total unitary charge payments for each scheme. The repayment of the capital value is an element of this unitary charge but it is not the only cost covered. Other elements of the unitary charge can include inflation and service provision. We are not able to specify the exact breakdown of the unitary charge payments into these different elements, but have indicated for each scheme the type of costs that are covered by the charge. In each case, the unitary charge payments are projections to the end of the contract and are conditional on the performance of the private sector contractor.
	As well as schemes undertaken by the core Department and its agencies, Defra also provides support in the form of PFI credits to allow local authorities to enter into PFI contracts to provide waste treatment facilities, and we have therefore included details of these schemes.
	
		
			  Commissioning body  Nature of service  Total capital value  (£ million)  Estimated unitary charges—total  (£ million)  Length of contract  (Years)  Type of costs included in unitary charge 
			 Isle of Wight county council Collection and treatment of domestic waste 15.9 92.0 17 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 Kirklees MC Collection and treatment of domestic waste 44.0 304.2 25 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 Hereford and Worcester county council Collection and treatment of domestic waste 80.9 872.9 26. Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation 
			 South Gloucestershire DC Collection and treatment of domestic waste 43.2 393.7 24 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 Surrey county council Collection and treatment of domestic waste 103.0 1,039.3 25 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 Leicester Collection and treatment of domestic waste 48.1 318.8 25 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 East London Waste Authority (ELWA) Collection and treatment of domestic waste 130.8 1,464.2 25 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Collection and treatment of domestic waste 144.0 1,064.5 25 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 West Sussex county council Collection and treatment of domestic waste 40.1 466.1 24 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 Nottinghamshire county council Collection and treatment of domestic waste 130.2 858.5 26 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 Cornwall county council Collection and treatment of domestic waste 157.3 1,307.0 30 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 Central Berkshire Collection and treatment of domestic waste 40.5 614.0 25 Inflation, service provision, capital repayments and an element to cover renovation. 
			 Environment Agency Flood defences along the Norfolk coast (1)136.7 (2)30 20 Inflation, and service provision. 
			 Environment Agency Sea defence scheme at Pevensey Bay (3)— 44.8 25 Inflation, capital repayments and maintenance provision 
			 Defra Office facilities at Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge 18.2 98.7 29 Inflation, service provision and capital repayments 
			 (1) Includes £95.1 million separate capital payments made upon the completion of individual work packages during the life of the project plus the £41.6 million payments  (2) The unitary charge is entirely for maintenance and related services, not capital works. (3) For the Pevensey Bay sea defences project capital and maintenance work is not separated out.

Renewable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 220W, on renewable energy, what plans his Department has to increase the percentage of electricity acquired from renewable sources.

Ian Pearson: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs currently acquires 62.3 per cent. of its electricity from certified renewable sources. This is against the target for all Government Departments to source at least 10 per cent. of electricity from renewables.
	DEFRA will work towards increasing this further through the installation of appropriate renewable energy systems (wind, solar, thermal and photovoltaic) in all new building or major refurbishment projects within its estate.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer from the Parliamentary Secretary Cabinet Office, the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-East (Mr. McFadden) to the hon. Member for Blackpool South of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the senior civil service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992.

Barry Gardiner: With the new Age Legislation coming into force in October 2006, DEFRA no longer has a set retirement age for employees below the senior civil service.

Rural Development Programme

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were trained under the Rural Development Programme in the UK in 2003; what the average cost was per person of that training; and whether he has made an assessment of the average cost per person of such training in other EU member states in that period.

Barry Gardiner: In the 2003 calendar year, the vocational training scheme offered under the England Rural Development Programme 2000-06 supported 27,132 training days. The cost of these training days totalled £1.997 million which, while costs per training day will vary, provided an average of £73.60 per day.
	We have no information on the average cost of training under other member states' rural development programmes for the same period. The main source of comparative data currently available on such programmes is the Synthesis of Rural Development Mid-Term Evaluations (November 2005), carried out by Agra CEAS Consulting for the European Commission, but this does not give average costs of training.

Rural Development Programme

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the extent to which other European Union member states have delayed the implementation of their rural development programmes from 2007 to 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: No rural development programmes will formally begin on 1 January 2007. At present none of the European Union member states have been able to submit a new rural development programme formally as the detailed implementing regulations are not yet in place.

Rural Development Programme

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional  (a) staff and  (b) other resources he plans to put in place to deal with applications for support under the Rural Development Programme between 2007 and 2013.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013 will be delivered by Natural England, the Forestry Commission and eight Regional Development Agencies. Each organisation will ensure that there are sufficient staff and resources in place to deal with applications for support under the Programme. This will not necessarily involve additional resources, as in many cases the delivery of support under the new Programme will use those resources that are currently delivering the existing Programme. The formal transfer to the Regional Development Agencies of responsibility for delivery of the socio-economic elements of the current and successor Rural Development Programmes in England involved a transfer of 65.5 full time equivalent posts from the Rural Development Service

Rural Support

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support programmes his Department provides for rural areas; and what the financial cost of these programmes is expected to be in 2007-08.

Barry Gardiner: The Government are committed to building a strong economy and fair society where there is opportunity and security for all. This commitment applies equally in rural and urban areas. The majority of my Department's programmes benefit both rural and urban areas. However, the cost of these programmes in rural areas alone could not be identified without disproportionate cost.
	The Department does have a number of programmes in place which address specific issues which have been identified in rural areas. These programmes and their estimated spend in 2007-08 are listed in the following table:
	
		
			  Programme  Provisional allocation 2007-08 (£ million) 
			 Rural Social and Community 13.8 
			 Rural Stress Action Plan 0.3 
			 Rural Stakeholder Engagement 0.3 
			 Regional and Local Delivery 0.5 
		
	
	DEFRA also funds the Commission for Rural Communities. The Commission's budget for 2007-08 will be subject to discussions on their planned activities for 2007-08 and their corporate plan.
	Farmers in the UK will receive around €4 billion in direct payments under "Pillar One" of the European Union Common Agricultural Policy in 2007-08.
	The provisional budget for the Rural Development Programme for England in 2007-08 (including Forestry Commission schemes) is about £405 million.
	DEFRA also contributes £74 million to the Regional Development Agencies' (RDA) Single Pot in 2007-08, for delivery against three of its Public Service Agreement targets: sustainable development, rural productivity, and sustainable farming and food. While RDAs are required to address the needs of their regions' rural areas, they recognise there is considerable interdependence between cities, towns and rural areas. Rural needs are best secured by tailoring mainstream policy, with rurally specific programmes only being developed where market failure cannot be addressed through mainstream provision. As the majority of expenditure in rural areas is therefore likely to be through an RDA's mainstream activities (such as regional business support and skills development) it is difficult to identify precise rural spend.
	The England LEADER+ programme, which assists rural communities in improving the quality of life and economic prosperity in their local area, will contribute around £10 million in 2007-08 to the 25 local action groups selected to deliver the Programme in their area.
	In addition, Objective 1 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Funding, (EAGGF) administered by DEFRA, will provide around £22 million in 2007-08 for the three areas (Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly, South Yorkshire and Merseyside) designated under the programme.
	It should be noted that the majority of both the LEADER+ and Objective 1 EAGGF funds for the remainder of the programme have already been committed to projects.

Single Farm Payments

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that Mrs. G. Bidwell, a constituent of the hon. Member for Northavon, receives outstanding single farm payments due to her and compensation for the delays in payment.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency has now fully processed Mrs. Bidwell's single payment scheme claim for 2005. My noble Friend, Lord Rooker will write to the hon. Gentleman about his constituent.

Wood Fibre Report

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the report "Forecast Wood Fibre availability and demand in Scotland and Northern England for 2016", published by John Clegg Consulting Ltd. in November 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: This is an independent report to which the Forestry Commission contributed. The study provides an overview of the supply and demand position to help guide both the strategic investment decisions made by industry and the development of forestry policy, which in the case of Scotland is a devolved matter. Publication of the report has been welcomed by the Forestry Commission.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Aid

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of UK aid distributed by third party agencies was spent on administration in the last period for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Administration costs are negotiated with individual agencies to take account of the specific circumstances as well as value for money considerations. Rates typically range from between 5 per cent. and 13 per cent.

Chad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect on the humanitarian situation in Chad of the decision of the UN Refugee Agency and the World Food Programme to move all non-essential staff out of the country; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The evacuation of staff from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme, and other humanitarian agencies due to insecurity has the potential to affect the protection of both refugees and the internally displaced and the provision of life-saving assistance. In response to the situation, the World Food Programme has already distributed food rations to cover needs in December, and agencies have put in place measures to allow most basic services to be continued if there was a full evacuation. Maintaining water supply is a major concern, due to the depth of the groundwater. If systems in the camps were to break down and agencies were unable to repair them, refugee and IDP populations would be forced to seek water elsewhere. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will consider providing further support to the humanitarian operation if required. Our current contribution in 2006 stands at £4 million for relief operations carried out by WFP, UNHCR and Oxfam.
	We are very concerned about the current situation in Chad. We assess it is fuelled partly by cross-border interference from Sudan. We continue to call on both the Government of Sudan and the Government of Chad to stop supporting each other's rebels and to fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement. A UN assessment mission travelled to Chad from 28 November to 3 December to look at what the UN could do to improve security in refugee camps and border areas. We are pressing the UN Secretary General to report back quickly with options for an international presence in the Chad/Darfur border region.

Cluster Munitions

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with  (a) EU counterparts and  (b) Cabinet colleagues regarding the Norwegian conference to discuss a future treaty on cluster munitions which will take place on 21 to 23 February 2007 in Oslo.

Hilary Benn: I have had no such discussions. However, DFID officials have continued with interdepartmental discussions on how best to achieve our objectives on cluster munitions. We have not received an invitation to the meeting in Oslo. We will consider carefully any invitation we do receive to discuss cluster munitions.

Conflict Areas

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to strengthen institutional capacity in states affected by conflict.

Gareth Thomas: For development, all states need to fulfil certain basic functions, such as protecting their people and providing an economic framework to enable people to support themselves. In fragile states, our approach is to provide support for basic government administrative capacity building such that we do not overburden already weak state structures by attempting governance improvements on all fronts. Alongside this fundamental support, we also prioritise security, access to justice, conflict prevention, peace-building, the protection of human rights and basic service delivery.
	For example in Sierra Leone, DFID assistance in building up civilian policing has helped reduce instability and increased the safety of citizens. Human development indicators are improving because citizens are better able to earn a living safely. In DRC DFID has supported the first democratic elections there for 40 years. And in Afghanistan DFID has helped the Government to collect revenue and plan their budget.
	In our 2006 White Paper, we set out our commitment to use a new 'quality of governance' assessment which will be done as part of our published Country Assessment Plans. We will use this assessment along with others to make choices about the way in which we provide UK aid and help improve the capability of state institutions and strengthen their accountability to the poor.

Sudan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid his Department gave to Sudan in 2005-06.

Hilary Benn: DFID Bilateral Aid to Sudan in the fiscal year 2005-06 was £117.1 million. £68,000 of this was in the form of other financial aid which relates to pensions payments where the UK has taken over liabilities from the Government of Sudan. No UK funds were provided directly to the Government of Sudan.
	For statistical reporting purposes, the term financial aid covers poverty reduction budget support, other projects and programmes. A full breakdown of Bilateral Aid for Sudan is published in Table 12.1 of "Statistics on International Development 2001/02-2005/06", a copy of which is available in the Library.

Sudan

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what audit arrangements are in place to assess the use of donated funds by the African Union Mission (AUM) in Sudan; and what assessment he has made of the effect of financial oversight on the AUM's financial management of resources in Sudan.

Hilary Benn: The African Union and international donors to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) have established a Liaison Group to co-ordinate their work. This group meets weekly to ensure that financial and in kind donor contributions to AMIS are used effectively.
	The UK is providing a £13.5 million cash contribution to help fund personnel costs for the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). We have a contract with Crown Agents to support the development of AMIS' budget management capacity, and to provide assistance, oversight and independent reporting on the disbursement of UK funds.

Sudan

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the African Union's (AU) capacity to  (a) manage and  (b) apply effectively funding from the UN for its mission in Darfur; whether the AU troops in Darfur have been paid for the last six months; and what prospects there are for such payments over the next six months.

Hilary Benn: The United Nations does not currently fund the operations of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), but it will fund the support that it provides to the mission. The Addis Ababa High Level Consultation on Darfur of 16 November agreed that the United Nations be requested to fund a hybrid AU-UN Peacekeeping Force for Darfur. This funding will require agreement in the General Assembly and would need to be accompanied by UN financial management and controls to ensure that it was applied effectively. Difficulties with the African Union's financial reporting have led to stalled funding from the European Commission for the payment of troop salaries, and the Commission are planning to send financial experts to assist the AU in addressing this problem. The UK cash contribution of £13.5 million will include payment of salaries owed from 20 October for a period of eight to nine weeks. Funding for AMIS' extended mandate from 1 January is yet to be confirmed: the UK is looking at making a further contribution and we are encouraging all partners to do the same.

Sudan

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions the Government have had with the Sudanese Government on increasing areas in which humanitarian programmes may operate.

Hilary Benn: Over the last few months, attacks on humanitarian agencies have led to the evacuation of staff and the suspension of their operations in a number of locations throughout the Darfur states. This has reduced the area in which humanitarian assistance can be delivered, and poses a severe threat to an already fragile situation. The ability of agencies to return to these areas is contingent upon an improvement in security, which in turn requires finding a political solution to this crisis.
	The UK remains at the forefront of efforts by the international community to achieve this. Recent meetings in Addis Ababa mapped out a way forward, including the need for an immediate and strengthened ceasefire; a renewed political process to bring in the non-signatory rebel groups to the Darfur Peace Agreement; and a hybrid Africa Union—United Nations (AU-UN) peacekeeping force.
	We welcome the fact that the African Union Peace and Security Council extended the mandate of the AU force and endorsed the Addis Ababa conclusions. The staged deployment of UN support packages to the AU force leading to a joint operation needs to happen without delay in order to restore security, protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access and implement security aspects of the Darfur Peace Agreement.
	The UK Government has been in regular discussion with the Government of Sudan on the requirements to end the conflict. We are pressing them to take forward these agreed steps in full co-operation with the AU and UN and, in doing so, proving that it is taking its responsibilities seriously.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Broadcasting

David Lepper: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he will make a further statement on the changes recommended by the Committee to the rules on broadcasting proceedings of the house and on filming and photography within the precincts.

Frank Doran: By way of a written answer on 20 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1725, I informed the House of changes to the rules on broadcasting proceedings of the House and on filming and photography within the precincts. The changes were originally introduced on a trial basis from the return of the House in October. The Committee again considered the operation of the rules earlier this month, and Mr. Speaker has agreed to the Committee's recommendation that the changes should be made permanent. Accordingly, the changes, which are restated, will remain in place on the return of the House in January.
	A greater variety of shots of proceedings in the Chamber than was permitted before October will continue to be allowed, including a greater use of reaction shots in order to illustrate the mood of the House, and the provision of a low-level atmospheric sound-feed during divisions rather than complete silence.
	BBC Parliament has been released from the undertaking previously given to the Broadcasting Committee, to carry live Commons Chamber coverage regardless of proceedings at the same time in the House of Lords, on condition that the freedom to select proceedings in the Lords should be used only sparingly, and that Mr. Speaker should be consulted in such cases. A reporter voice-over is also now permitted during divisions.
	Two new interview points have been identified within the precincts: in the south west corner of Westminster Hall once the current works there have been completed, and on the Green in New Palace Yard, subject in the latter case to a permit from the Serjeant at Arms. Filming pieces to camera of a presenter walking across Central Lobby are also permitted before 9 a.m. on non-sitting days, similarly subject to a permit from the Serjeant at Arms.

Visitor Entrance

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the current estimate for completed works on the new visitor entrance is; and what percentage this is of the original contract price.

Nick Harvey: The latest forecast including contracted works costs, fitting out, fees and preliminary works is £8,727,500 against the original business case approval of £8,687,500. This is an increase of less than 1 per cent. There are a number of different contracts involved in the project. The latest valuation for works completed on the main contract as of 23 November 2006 is £4,303,660 and represents 101 per cent. of the original contract price for that element of the contract.

Visitor Entrance

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what extension of time has been granted for construction of the new visitor entrance; and on what grounds such an extension of time has been granted.

Nick Harvey: The project is clearly running late and it is not possible to give a reliable date for its completion. On the information available at present the Commission hopes to see the building opened by Easter 2007. Over the summer, delays were caused by unexpected problems with piling and hidden services beneath the site. More recently there have been difficulties with the construction of the building itself. A technical audit has been commissioned by the accounting officer, action is being taken to manage the project more tightly and the Commission expects a full report on progress in January. A five week extension of contract time was made on 26 September 2006 but this covers only a part of the delay.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she plans to make to President Karzai on  (a) regional stability and  (b) Afghan-Pakistan relations.

Kim Howells: We continue to make regular representations to the Afghan Government on the importance of regional stability and we are encouraging a sustained constructive dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan Foreign Minister Mian Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri recently met with Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta in Kabul (7-9 December) as part of an on-going effort by the two countries to improve relations. During my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's November visit to Afghanistan, President Karzai was urged to continue to engage Pakistani co-operation.
	Our messages promoting regional stability and urging Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together on shared problems will continue to be delivered to both governments at both ministerial and official levels.

Bangladesh

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the  (a) Bangladeshi Government and  (b) Bangladeshi embassy in London that forthcoming elections in Bangladesh should be both free and fair.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade visited Bangladesh on 22-23 November and met the head of the caretaker government and leaders of the main political parties. In his meetings, my right hon. Friend urged the caretaker government to act in a non-partisan manner to deliver free, fair, peaceful and accepted elections. He emphasised the need for responsible leadership and restraint from the parties in Bangladesh. He said that the UK continued to stand ready to help support democracy, stability and security in Bangladesh.
	Officials at our High Commission in Dhaka and here in London continue to take a close interest in preparations for elections, and we support the EU and Commonwealth Election Observer Missions. But ultimately it is for the parties and the people of Bangladesh to find solutions and make their elections a success. We encourage the parties to continue talking with each other to this end.

British Citizens: Participation in Conflicts

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the participation of British citizens in military conflicts between third party states is governed by any domestic statute or regulation.

Kim Howells: As a general proposition, persons on the territory of another state are subject to the laws of that state. However, in some circumstances, such persons may also be subject to the laws of other states, particularly their state of nationality. For example, in the case of the UK, members of HM armed forces overseas remain subject to UK law by virtue respectively of the Naval Discipline Act (1957), the Army Act (1955) and the Air Force Act (1955).
	UK criminal law may apply in some cases to acts committed by British citizens who are not members of HM armed forces during conflict overseas. For example, British nationals and residents can be prosecuted in the UK for war crimes committed overseas under the Geneva Conventions Act (1957) and the International Criminal Court Act (2001). In addition, there are specific domestic statutes which may apply in such circumstances, including the Foreign Enlistment Act (1870). However, there has never been a prosecution for either enlistment or recruitment under this Act.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey) in response to questions about legislation relating to the provision by UK companies of security and military services overseas on 25 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1284-85W.

Chad

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Sudanese authorities over its involvement in Chad.

Kim Howells: We are very concerned about the spill-over of the Darfur conflict into Chad. We continue to call on the Governments of Sudan and Chad to stop supporting each other's rebels and to fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement. Christopher Prentice, UK Special Representative/Ambassador at Large for the Sudan Peace Process, made representations on Chad to the Government of Sudan during his trip to Sudan from 8 to 13 December 2006. The UN Secretary-General is due to report to the Security Council shortly on options for an international presence along Chad's border with Darfur. We will consider his recommendations carefully when they are made.

Cluster Munitions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will meet her Norwegian counterpart to discuss cluster munitions.

Kim Howells: There are no current plans for a bilateral meeting. However, there may be some events over the coming months where meetings are possible and cluster munitions may be one of the subjects discussed.

Cluster Munitions

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which officials from her Department will be attending the conference to discuss a future cluster munition treaty in Oslo on 21(st )to 23(rd) February 2007.

Kim Howells: We have not yet received any invitation to the meeting in Oslo. We will consider any invitation carefully, including the nature of UK participation.

Cluster Munitions

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with  (a) EU counterparts and  (b) Cabinet colleagues on the Norwegian conference to discuss a future treaty on cluster munitions which will take place on 21(st) to 23(rd) February 2007 in Oslo.

Kim Howells: There have been no discussions at Ministerial level. However, interdepartmental discussions among Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Ministry of Defence/Department of International Development officials on the wider issue of cluster munitions have continued. We will consider carefully any invitation we receive to discuss cluster munitions.

Colombia

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what recent occasions she has raised the human rights situation in Colombia.

Geoff Hoon: We have regular meetings with the Colombian government and civil society, plus international non-governmental organisations working on human rights issues in Colombia. This engagement happens in both Colombia and the UK, through our embassy in Bogota, ministerial visits and meetings between Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials and people and groups concerned about the issue. Human rights form the main strand of our policy towards the country. We want to see an improvement in human rights in Colombia and have offered our help and project support to the Colombian government and civil society to achieve this goal.
	My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, raised human rights with Colombian ministers and civil society during his visit to the country in September. He followed up on the subject when he met the Vice-President of Colombia in London in November. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) also raised human rights with Colombian ministers in his visit to Colombia in October. British embassy and FCO officials have also had meetings with a range of people drawn from the categories described above in November and December. This engagement will continue as we look for ways of trying to help improve the situation.

Consultants

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of her Department's Band C Assessment and Development Centres (ADC) in each of the last four years; and how much was paid to consultants involved in ADCs in each year.

Geoff Hoon: Assessment and Development Centres (ADC) were introduced to improve leadership and management skills at middle and senior level. Research has shown that ADCs are the most reliable predictor of future performance and they ensure a diverse workforce at each level, with promotion being gained through objective assessment of performance by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and external assessors. ADCs are open to all staff who have been in their substantive grade for at least two years, which ensures that high-performing staff can gain promotion more speedily than previously.
	The FCO can provide the breakdown of information requested for the last financial year, but not for preceding years, due to a change in the corporate management information system. To extract the data from the management information system used at that time in the way requested would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Cost ADCs in financial years 2005-06 
			  £ 
			   Total cost  Cost of consultants 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 603,001 328,584

Consultants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which consultants received funding from the total indicated in the pie chart on page 75 of her Department's annual report.

Geoff Hoon: The pie chart ("Estate Running Costs") shows a total of £6.9 million in payments to consultants out of a total of £201 million for the financial year 2004-05. Of this £6.9 million, £4.6 million arose from our private finance initiative contract for our embassy in Berlin. The remaining £2.3 million was paid to approximately 100 separate consultants, of whom the largest three payments were to UCT Ltd. (£91,000), Halcrow Group Ltd., (£83,000), and TPS Consult Ltd. (£69,000).

Darfur

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the UN Human Rights Council's decision to hold an emergency session on the on-going conflict in Darfur; what representations she will be making to the session; and what reports she has had from the UK ambassador at the United Nations on this issue.

Kim Howells: The UK supported the UN Human Rights Council's decision to hold an emergency session on the on-going conflict in Darfur on 12 and 13 December. The UK worked to achieve consensus in the session on the need effectively to tackle violations in Darfur, and for an expert human rights mission to Darfur. The UK also used its formal intervention to condemn gender based violence in Darfur.

Departmental Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of running the Band D Assessment and Development Centres was in the 2005-06 financial year.

Geoff Hoon: Readiness for promotion to Band D is established through written assessment of appraisal evidence. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) do not currently run an assessment and development centre (ADC) at this level.
	ADCs were introduced to improve leadership and management skills at middle and senior level. Research has shown that ADCs are the most reliable predictor of future performance and they ensure a diverse workforce at each level, with promotion being gained via objective assessment of performance by FCO and external assessors. ADCs are open to all staff who have been in their substantive grade for at least two years.
	We currently run ADCs to judge readiness for promotion to Band C and the senior management structure (SMS). Costs for Band C for financial year 2005-06 have been given in the response I gave to the hon. Member today (UIN 108896). Costs for the SMS ADC are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Total cost  Cost of consultants 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 210,235 114,598

Departmental Staff

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many candidates in her Department have gone through the Band C assessment and development centres whilst on temporary promotion to Band C in the last four years; and how many  (a) passed and  (b) failed, broken down by sex.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not collected information on the number of candidates who have gone through the Band C assessment and development centre (ADC) whilst on temporary promotion for the period February 2001 to January 2005. It would incur a disproportionate cost to collect all the data requested.
	However, the FCO can supply the data requested for the period February 2005 to November 2006 as it recently compiled this information for internal monitoring purposes. Of the 93 candidates on temporary promotion, 20 male candidates and 15 female candidates passed the ADC, while 33 male candidates and 25 female candidates failed the ADC.
	Data on the number of male and female candidates who have passed/failed the ADC since it was introduced is collected and the figures for the period February 2001 to November 2006 are as follows: Of the 352 candidates who passed the ADC, 193 were male and 159 were female. Of the 533 candidates who failed the ADC, 328 were male and 205 were female.

Departmental Staff

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which  (a) independent and  (b) maintained educational institutions accommodate pupils and students receiving the boarding school allowance granted to employees of her Department; how many pupils at each institution received the allowance and in each of the last three years for which figures are available and at what cost; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: It is a condition of employment that members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world at any time during their career, sometimes at very short notice. Those with children also have the legal obligation as parents to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the age of five years. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) provisions for children's education are intended to help staff meet these potentially conflicting obligations.
	We expect children who accompany their parents on postings overseas to use free state schooling if it is available locally and suitable. If suitable schooling is not available free of charge locally, but is available at fee-charging schools, we refund fees to enable children to receive the education they would be entitled to in the UK.
	With staff and their families having to move at regular intervals, sometimes at short notice and at times which may disrupt schooling for their children, and education facilities at posts overseas varying, continuity of education can be problematic particularly during the important exam years. The FCO's continuity of education allowance addresses this problem by enabling children to board at schools in the UK while their parents remain subject to the world-wide mobility obligation.
	As it is lengthy, I am arranging for a copy of the schedule showing the independent and maintained schools attended by children of members of the diplomatic service to be placed in the Library of the House. The schedule also shows the numbers of children currently attending those schools.
	Figures are not available to provide a breakdown of payments to each of the 180 schools listed. But the overall expenditure in respect of children attending independent and maintained schools over the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2003-04 10.4 
			 2004-05 11.4 
			 2005-06 11.8 
		
	
	These figures include tax and national insurance contributions.

Departmental Studies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 661W, on departmental studies, at what  (a) staff grade and  (b) cost threshold external studies can be commissioned independently by officials within her Department; and how many members of staff there are at that grade.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Ethiopia

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to promote the respect of human rights in Ethiopia.

Kim Howells: The UK and other partners, including the European Union, continue to monitor closely the human rights situation in Ethiopia. Where appropriate we raise our concerns with the Ethiopian Government at both ministerial and official level. My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development have raised these issues at the highest level.
	We have recently added a new political officer to our embassy staff in Addis Ababa with a remit to deal solely with human rights issues. In the past year, we have supported a number of non-governmental organisation's working on human rights issues. We have also assisted with capacity building of the recently established Human Rights Commission.
	We continue to urge the Government of Ethiopia to comply with international human rights standards and respect individual human rights.

Ethiopia

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the political situation in Ethiopia; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The election in May 2005 marked a step change in the democratisation process in Ethiopia. The degree of political freedom and debate in the run up to the election was unprecedented. We were disturbed that subsequent disputes over the election results led to civil unrest and violence which resulted in the tragic death of many people. There were also widespread arrests and allegations of human rights abuses. The main Opposition leaders and some civil society representatives remain in detention facing serious charges including genocide and treason. Since the election there has been a closing down of political space for the Opposition, the independent media and civil society.
	We continue to encourage both the Government of Ethiopia and the Opposition to move forward with the democratisation process and to work towards political reconciliation. We have a regular dialogue with the Government on governance and human rights issues and the Government are now beginning to take steps to create space for opposition parties to contribute and participate in the House of Peoples' Representatives. We continue to urge the Government to open up political space and encourage open debate with all parts of society.

European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) budget,  (b) agenda and  (c) mission statement is of the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP) is being funded under the Financial FrameworkPrevention, Preparedness and Consequence Management of terrorism. This framework has been allocated a budget of 12.7 million (euros) for 2007, by the European Union. Although not all this funding will necessarily be allocated to EPCIP, the European Commission currently expects that most of it will.
	The Commission is currently drawing up proposals for how EPCIP should proceed, for discussion and agreement with the Member States. Therefore, no agenda or mission statement has been agreed. The stated aim of EPCIP is to improve the protection of critical infrastructure in the European Union.

Guatemala

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her policy is on the proposed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala; and whether the UK plans to offer any support to this body.

Geoff Hoon: The situation in Guatemala has improved since the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996, following 36 years of conflict. However, we continue to be concerned by the growth of organised crime, the activities of gangs and the widespread impunity which threatens the rule of law in Guatemala. We therefore very much support the creation of an International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala and are working closely with EU partners and the international community to help ensure its effectiveness.

Iran

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations or inquiries the Government have initiated during the last three years into the dealings of Mr. David Mills in connection with the sale of aviation spare parts and equipment to Iran in contravention of United Nations and European Trade Union trade sanctions; and what the results were.

Kim Howells: There are no European Union or United Nations sanctions that outlaw the export of aircraft or their parts to Iran.

Lebanon

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the governments of Syria and Iran about their alleged involvement in efforts to destabilise the democratically elected government of Lebanon.

Kim Howells: Officials from my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) continue to raise our concerns with Syria about its alleged involvement in efforts to destabilise the democratically elected Government of Lebanon. We hope Syria will choose to play a constructive role in the region and support UN Security Council Resolution 1701's aim of supporting the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognised borders.
	The United Kingdom continues to be deeply concerned by Iran's interference in Lebanon and takes every opportunity to raise this issue with the Iranian government, most recently on 8 December when senior officials at the FCO met officials from the Iranian embassy.

Palestine

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals have reported being refused an entry visa for the Occupied Palestinian Territories by the Israeli authorities since April.

Kim Howells: The Government of Israel does not provide figures for the number of British Nationals who are denied entry into Israel and the Occupied Territories. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and Consulate- General in Jerusalem are made aware of British Nationals being denied entry only if the British National concerned reports the incident to them. British Nationals do not need a visa to enter Israel and the Occupied Territories. Those refused entry at the international border are therefore refused entry to both Israel and the Occupied Territories.

Romania

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Romanian counterpart on the likely number of Romanian citizens wishing to come to the UK following accession to the EU.

Geoff Hoon: Both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I met the Romanian Foreign Minister in October when we discussed the UK's decision to restrict labour market access to citizens of Romania on accession on 1 January 2007. Our discussions have not covered the likely numbers of Romanians that might come to the UK, but have covered the reasons for our decision and that it will be reviewed after 12 months.

Russia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to her Russian counterpart on the ability of British citizens to travel to Russia without visas.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made no representations to her Russian counterpart on the ability of British citizens to travel to Russia without visas.

Somalia

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to support the United Nations resolution to send troops to Somalia to support the Somali government.

Kim Howells: In line with our G8 commitments the UK is supporting African countries to prepare for and to participate effectively in peace support operations in Africa. UK capacity-building and training assistance is delivered through the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool, run jointly by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and the Department of International Development. In working directly with a range of potential African troop contributors we are increasing the pool of effective peacekeepers, which supports the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. UN Security Council Resolution 1725 authorises action only by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and member states of the AU in support of the Transitional Federal institutions in Somalia. We have offered technical assistance to the AU for further mission planning for Somalia.

Uganda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the status of peace talks with the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.

Kim Howells: The peace talks remain fragile. We are encouraged that following a lengthy recess, the delegations have now returned to Juba to resume the dialogue process.
	We continue to call on all parties to implement the agreements reached to date and remain focused on securing a peaceful resolution to this long-running conflict.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Digital Broadcasting

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her estimate is of the number of households that will qualify for assistance in switching over to digital television in each parliamentary constituency in Devon and Cornwall.

Shaun Woodward: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Constituency  Households (defined as eligible benefit units) 
			  Devon  
			 East Devon 16,000 
			 Exeter 13,000 
			 North Devon 14,000 
			 Plymouth, Devonport 13,000 
			 Plymouth, Sutton 12,000 
			 South West Devon 10,000 
			 Teignbridge 16,000 
			 Tiverton and Honiton 14,000 
			 Torbay 16,000 
			 Torridge and West Devon 14,000 
			 Totnes 14,000 
			   
			  Cornwall  
			 Falmouth and Camborne 14,000 
			 North Cornwall 15,000 
			 St. Ives 14,000 
			 South East Cornwall 13,000 
			 Truro and St. Austell 15,000 
			  Notes: 1. Rounded to the nearest thousand.  2. Eligibility for help from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme will be by benefit unit rather than the whole household definition used by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Office to forecast future household growth.  3. The definition of a benefit unit is a couple and any dependent children. It excludes adults deemed to be non-dependents who, if eligible, will be able to claim assistance from the Help Scheme in their own right.

Digital Broadcasting

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2006,  Official Report, column 113W, on digital television, if she will break down by category of eligibility the estimated 7 million UK households entitled to targeted assistance.

Shaun Woodward: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Digital Switchover Help Schemeestimate of eligible households group 
			  Group  Eligible households 
			 Households 75+ pension credit (PC) 1,900,000 
			 Households disabled and receiving pension credit, income support (IS) or income-based job seeker's allowance (JSA) 1,300,000 
			 Total free scheme 3,200,000 
			 Households 75+ non pension credit 2,200,000 
			 Households disabled/not receiving PC/IS/JSA 1,700,000 
			 Total charge scheme 4,000,000 
			 Total 7,100,000 
			  Note: 1. Rounded to the nearest 100,000. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 2. The definition of household follows the DWP definition of a benefit unit: a couple and any dependent children (aged under 16, or in full time education). Non dependent adults will be able to claim assistance in their own right and are counted as a separate household.

Licensing

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of premises licences which are not  (a) exclusively and  (b) primarily for the carrying on the premises of the supply of alcohol for consumption on premises in England and Wales which fall into (i) Band D and (ii) Band E as determined by the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: We do not hold detailed information broken down by premises in bands D and E.
	The 2005 regulations Regulatory Impact Assessment estimated that between 2,000 and 4,000 of the premises in bands D and E were likely to be primarily or exclusively engaged in the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises. Based on this estimate and the Government's most recent projections, there are likely to be between 14,000 and 16,000 premises in Bands D and E which do not meet that definition.

Licensing

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel in its work on the setting of fees for alcohol licences.

Shaun Woodward: I am very grateful to the Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel for their commitment and all the hard work they have undertaken in reviewing the fees regime. DCMS received the Panel's final report on 12 December 2006. I am currently assessing their conclusions and recommendations and will place copies of the report in Libraries of both Houses of Parliament shortly.

London Olympics

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of civil servants who worked on the 2012 Olympics bid from across Government Departments; and at what cost they were employed in this area.

Richard Caborn: The Olympic Games Unit (OGU) was established in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to co-ordinate Government support for London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The average number of staff in the OGU during the period July 2003 to July 2005 and pay costs are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Average number of staff  Pay costs (to nearest 000) 
			 July 2003-March 2004 9 326,000 
			 April 2004-March 2005 12 355,000 
			 April 2005-June 2005 13 92,000 
		
	
	A number of staff in other Government Departments provided support to the Olympic bid where necessary during this period but the Department does not hold a record of these details.

London Olympics

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the projected operational life is of the Olympic Stadium.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Stadium will have a permanent legacy form and will function as a Living Stadium. The intention is for it to have sufficient flexibility to host a range of sporting, cultural, and community events that ensures its long-term viability.

London Olympics

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what opportunities there are for businesses in  (a) Coventry and  (b) the West Midlands region to exploit the commercial opportunities of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Richard Caborn: The Government are committed to the potential benefits of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games being maximised across the whole of the UK.
	Companies, large and small, in construction, manufacturing, catering, merchandise, business services, media and creative industries and many more will be needed to deliver the Games, creating valuable procurement opportunities for UK companies.
	Companies in the region have already been successful in winning business at Olympic Games in Athens and Turin, and regional stakeholders are working hard to build on the success of the region and make the most of the opportunities.
	A Business Task Group has been set up, led by West Midlands Business Council and Advantage West Midlands, chaired by Coventry Chamber of Commerce, and they have been working closely with DTI and London 2012 in the development of a Business Opportunities Network to allow business across the UK to engage with potential partners and compete successfully for procurement contracts.
	Advantage West Midlands has been running a series of Workshops throughout the region, to brief businesses on the range of opportunities available from London 2012. The very first was held in Coventry and a follow on workshop will be held in Coventry before the end of March.
	Coventry and Warwickshire have also set up their own 2012 Management Group, to pursue 2012 opportunities for the County. This Group has recently set up a 2012 Games helpline (0845 900 2012) and e-mail address for businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire, providing general information on local and regional business opportunities associated around the London 2012 Games.
	Businesses interested in tendering opportunities from 2012, should now register themselves directly at
	www.london2012.com/business

London Olympics

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with trade unions about job creation and skills training for the 2012 Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The Government have worked closely with trade unions in developing plans to maximise the employment and skills benefits for the UK from Games related business.
	The Secretary of State met Paul Kenny, General Secretary of the GMB, at the 2005 Labour Party Conference and wrote to him twice in the summer of 2006 about maximising job creation and training through the ODA Procurement Policy. In November 2005, I met representatives of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians to discuss skills opportunities in building the Olympic Park.
	In addition, the TUC have provided extensive comments on government plans, led by DfES and DWP, on maximising employment and skills benefits arising from the Games. Their contribution will assist us in delivering our commitment to a sustainable employment and skills legacy for the UK.

London Olympics

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the construction area of the Olympic Stadium has been investigated for contamination; what was discovered in each area which has been examined; and what techniques for remediation will be applied by the London Development Agency.

Tessa Jowell: Remediation work on the Olympic Park site is ongoing and an expert team has now investigated the majority of the land that is currently available. The expert team has indicated that the levels of contamination assessed to date are in line with expectations. Site investigations will continue across the remainder of the Olympic Park site before the full remediation work starts in 2007. Remediation techniques will be assessed in line with the site investigations.

London Olympics

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the revised budget for the London 2012 Olympics will be published.

Tessa Jowell: The budget for the Games will be agreed next year. Work is under way at the moment on a number of issues, including security and contingency. In addition the Government are currently considering tax costs as part of its wider consideration of the overall budget.

London Olympics

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to ensure that architects use wood and other sustainable materials when designing buildings to be used for the 2012 Olympic games; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Government are committed to ensuring that we deliver not only the best Olympic Games and Paralympic Games ever, but also ensure that they are socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable, leaving a lasting legacy for the Lower Lea Valley and the UK as a whole. We are working closely with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the body responsible for constructing the Games facilities, as well as the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (London 2012 Organising Committee) to realise this aim.
	In the Candidate File, which set out the commitments for the Games, we promised to make sustainable development integral to every aspect of our vision for the Games. To deliver this, sustainable development criteria will be taken into account in planning, tendering and procurement decisions by both the ODA and the London 2012 Organising Committee. The ODA committed to identifying, sourcing and using environmentally and socially responsible materials in its draft Sustainability and Progress Report published in July 2006. Following consultation on this draft, the ODA's Sustainable Development Strategy will be published in January, containing further detailed commitments on the use of materials.
	The London 2012 Organising Committee will manage its procurement policy separately from the ODA, but will also adopt fair and sustainable procurement principles. Their procurement policy and associated strategy is currently being developed and a Sustainable Development Plan for the Olympic Programme overall will be published in the spring.

Procurement Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 597W, on procurement projects, who the recipients were of the funding for the reviews of  (a) public libraries standards and  (b) BBC News Digital Services.

David Lammy: The contract to review Public Libraries Standards was awarded to PricewaterhouseCoopers.
	The contract to review BBC News Digital Services was awarded to the London Business School.

TV Licence

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the chairman of the BBC on the future of the television licence.

Tessa Jowell: Prior to his resignation, I had a number of discussions with the former Chairman of the BBC over the period of our review of the future level of the television licence fee.

VisitBritain

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much VisitBritain spent on promotion, broken down by target audience.

Shaun Woodward: In 2005-06, VisitBritain's expenditure on promotion was as follows:
	
		
			  Target market  000 
			  Long haul  
			 N America 5,554 
			 Japan 1,283 
			 Australasia 1,505 
			 China 377 
			 Other 2,692 
			   
			  Europe  
			 France 2,315 
			 Germany 2,745 
			 Scandinavia 2,058 
			 Other 6,485 
			   
			 'England International' in France, Germany, Ireland and Netherlands 1,228 
			   
			 Domestic marketing 6,870 
			 Total 33,112

PRIME MINISTER

Christmas

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Prime Minister what Christmas lights are in use at No. 10 Downing street; and what assessment he has made of their environmental impact.

Tony Blair: My Office and the Cabinet Office's total facilities management service provider continues to seek improvements in environmentally friendly Christmas decorations year on year.

Departmental Website

Graham Stuart: To ask the Prime Minister how much public money has been spent on maintaining his website in each year since it was set up; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 30 October 2002,  Official Report, columns 850-51W. The running costs of the website in the subsequent financial years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Cost () 
			 2002-03 234,817 
			 2003-04 143,234 
			 2004-05 145,844 
			 2005-06 163,051

Downing Street Ministerial Flat

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost  (a) in notional rent and capital charges and  (b) of routine maintenance for his ministerial flat above 11 Downing street was in the 2005-06 financial year.

Tony Blair: Information on notional rent is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The cost of routine maintenance on the flat above 11 Downing street for the financial year 2005-06 was 35,293.

Hospitality and Travel Costs

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent by his office on  (a) travel and  (b) hospitality in (i) 1995-96 and (ii) 2005-06.

Tony Blair: Since 1999, the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing 500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list. All Ministers' travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the ministerial code, and the accompanying guidance document Travel by Ministers.
	For the figures for overseas travel in 1996-97 and 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 86WS. Information prior to 1996-97 was not held centrally.
	For information on hospitality by my Office for 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) and the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 11 October 2006,  Official Report, column 788W. For information on hospitality for 1995-96, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane) on 9 February 1998,  Official Report, column 17W.

Ministerial Code

Andrew Selous: To ask the Prime Minister if he will investigate the compliance with the Ministerial Code of the attendance in an official capacity by the Minister for Housing and Planning at the Regeneration and Housing Conference at Putteridge Bury on 11 December.

Tony Blair: My hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning attended the conference in an official capacity.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Preventing Extremism Together

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has allocated in following up recommendations in the Preventing Extremism Together working document since August 2005; and what funds she expects to receive from other Departments to support the working plan.

Phil Woolas: It is not possible to say how much has been awarded to the development of these recommendations since they are for both the Muslim communities and Government to consider and, where appropriate, take forward. For the Government, these recommendations form part of a wider strategy to tackle extremism and build cohesion in Muslim communities and so feed in to numerous strands of work. The unit responsible has an overall budget of 1.5 million for this financial year.

2005 Code of Practice on Consultation

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many local authorities have adopted the 2005 Code of Practice on Consultation;
	(2)  what steps she has taken to encourage local authorities to adopt the 2005 Code of Practice on Consultation.

Phil Woolas: The Code of Practice on Consultation was last revised in 2004. The Government regards effective consultation as a critical component of good public policy development, and the Code sets out best practice in this area.
	The Code is non-statutory and it is for individual local authorities to determine their own approach in this area, but the Department actively encourages authorities to make use of the Code in exercising their responsibilities.
	Information about how many authorities have adopted the Code is not collected centrally bythe Department and to do so would involve disproportionate cost.

Anschutz Entertainment Group

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many civil servants from the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister accompanied the Deputy Prime Minister's visit to the Canary Wharf offices of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) on 17 August 2005;and whether minutes were taken of the meeting'sdiscussion.

Angela Smith: On 17 August 2005 the Deputy Prime Minister visited the Canary Wharf offices of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) as part of a wider East London Gateway tour that also looked at wider regeneration on the Greenwich Peninsula.
	As with all Ministers on official business, the DPM was accompanied by civil servants to provide him with support as appropriate. Due to the nature of the visit, which included a presentation and tour of the AEG marketing suite, no meeting agenda or formal discussion took place. There were no minutes taken.

Buildings Energy Efficiency

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on progress in  (a) drawing up specifications and  (b) training of personnel in buildings energy efficiency certification.

Yvette Cooper: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has accredited ABBE as the first awarding body for the Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) qualification. There are a number of organisations offering training for DEAs and this number is expected to increase over the coming months.

Charity Commission

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Charity Commission for England and Wales recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

Edward Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
	I understand from the Charity Commission that they recognise broadly equivalent international qualifications, including the international GCSE, when recruiting for positions within the Commission.

Climate Change

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account the forthcoming Climate Change Policy Statement will take of the impact of out-of-town grocery shopping on climate change.

Yvette Cooper: The draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS): Planning and Climate Change was published for consultation on 13 December. It sets out how planning, in providing for the new homes, jobs and infrastructure needed by communities, should help shape places with lower carbon emissions and resilient to climate change. This includes delivering patterns of urban growth that help secure the fullest possible use of sustainable transport for moving freight, public transport, cycling and walking; and overall reduce the need to travel, especially by car. The approach in the draft PPS builds on existing planning policy for town centres and transport.

Consultants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which projects  (a) her Department has commissioned and  (b) the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister commissioned by the consultancy Ecotec; and what the (i) cost and (ii) purpose was of each.

Yvette Cooper: The Department for Communities and Local Government has commissioned Ecotec Research and Consultancy Ltd. at a value of 1,010,239 inc. VAT, to investigate change in deprived neighbourhoods.
	Expenditure on Ecotec, Research and Consultancy Ltd. by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is recorded as being;
	
		
			   Expenditure by ODPM () 
			 2003-04 278,838 
			 2004-05 60,686 
			 2005-06 590,787 
		
	
	Identifying prior expenditure would be at disproportionate cost.
	This expenditure was on a variety of ODPM projects, including;
	Housing Market Renewal,
	Housing Research, and
	Evaluation of the Youth Training Project.
	Identifying further data on ODPM contracts with Ecotec, Research and Consultancy Ltd. would be at disproportionate cost.

Consultants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 10 consultancy fees charged to her Department since May 1997 were the most expensive.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as set out in the following table.
	Communities and Local Government has engaged consultants to support policy development in response to the need to develop sustainable homes and communities. The skills required for these programmes were not available from civil servants.
	In addition, specialist skills including project management, finance, engineering, technology specification, building specification and design, security and resilience have been procured to support the delivery of projects to enhance the ability of the fire and rescue service to respond to major incidents.
	The work undertaken includes provision of radio engineering expertise for the new radio systems for the fire and rescue service; also, logistical support and design for responding to chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear incident, and search and rescue incidents.
	
		
			  Vendor name  Programme  Value of supply 1 April 2003 to 1 September 2006 ( million) 
			 PA Consulting FireControl 16.1 
			 Mott McDonald FireLink 9.4 
			 SERCO New Dimensions 5.8 
			 CapGemini Supporting People 5.5 
			 IBM Planning Portal 4.2 
			 Collective Enterprises Home Improvement Advice 3.1 
			 Xansa LogasNet 2.4 
			 Turner Townsend Fire Control 1.7 
			 Xansa Hub Project 1.5 
			 Ernst Young FireLink 1.1

Council Housing: Property Transfer

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much gap funding was produced for stock transfers by local authorities in each year since 1997; and from which of her Department's budgets funds were provided.

Yvette Cooper: 182 million was made available following SR 2004 to support negative value housing stock transfers through gap funding arrangements with registered social landlords. Payments under these arrangements are paid to RSLs from the Department's capital DEL budget and cover the period 2004-08.
	The first gap funding agreement was signed in March 2005. Annual payment against agreements signed has been paid from the 182 million and is as follows.
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 7.65 
			 2005-06 3.88

Council Tax

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of how local authorities used the revenue resulting from the ending of the second home council tax discount in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The use of revenue collected as a result of reducing the second home council tax discount is a matter for individual authorities. The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect information as to how this revenue is used.

Council Tax

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) North East Lincolnshire council and  (b) North Lincolnshire council raised in council tax in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The council tax received by North East Lincolnshire UA and North Lincolnshire UA in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. The figures for each year include both arrears received for previous years and prepayment of council tax for subsequent years.
	
		
			  000 
			   North East Lincolnshire UA  North Lincolnshire UA 
			 2001-02 36,477 42,929 
			 2002-03 38,924 46,319 
			 2003-04 44,808 48,324 
			 2004-05 49,192 51,937 
			 2005-06 50,892 54,486 
		
	
	The data are as reported on QRC4 forms submitted by all billing authorities to Communities and Local Government each year.

Departmental Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what costs were incurred from the change of the name of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to the Department for Communities and Local Government, broken down by cost area.

Angela Smith: Provisional figures were provided in the answer given to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Rogerson), on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 989W.
	The updated final figures are:
	The design and production of a new logotype 2,200, no change;
	Modifications to buildings furnishings and signage cost 5,130, 130 more that the original estimate;
	Provision of new stationery cost 2,680, this was 180 more than the original estimate; and
	Changes to the Department website cost 290, this was 310 less than the original budget.
	The final overall cost was 10,300.

Departmental Expenditure

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total spend was by her Department on  (a) catering,  (b) hospitality and  (c) official entertainment in 2004-05.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs. Villiers) on 30 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 65-66W.
	Identifying the constituent elements of hospitality and official entertainment would incur a disproportionate cost.

Election Candidates

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what work her Department is undertaking with local authorities to encourage people to stand for election.

Phil Woolas: The Local Government White Paper announced an independent review of the incentives and barriers to serving on councils in England. The review will look at a range of issues which affect whether or not people decide to stand for election, including the time commitments expected of frontline councillors and cabinet members. The review will be established in early 2007 and we expect it to report in the autumn. The local government sector will be fully involved in the review.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether larger homes will be charged more for an energy performance certificate.

Yvette Cooper: The price of an energy performance certificate will be set by the market and not by Government. We expect these costs to vary according to the size, type and location of the property.

Equality Legislation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she has had any discussions with the Commission for Racial Equality on bringing forward amendments to equality legislation to allow positive discrimination.

Phil Woolas: No, neither the Secretary of State nor I have had any such discussions. Positive discrimination is and will remain unlawful under UK and EU law. The Government are committed to promoting equality of opportunity in the workplace and selection on the basis of merit.

Faith Communities Consultative Council

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the membership is of the new Faith Communities Consultative Council set up in March 2006; how many times it has met; and what its forward work programme is.

Phil Woolas: The membership of the Faith Communities Consultative Council is drawn from the nine main world faith groups. There are seven Christian, three Muslim, two Hindu, two Jewish, two Sikh, one Zoroastrian, one Buddhist, one Jain and one Baha'i representatives. There is also a representative from the Inter Faith Network and from the Faith Based Regeneration Network. The Council membership also includes representation from the Scottish Core Liaison Group, Inter Faith Council Wales and the Northern Ireland Interfaith body to ensure a UK wide perspective. The Faith Communities Consultative Council has met on three occasions 27 April, 25 July and 6 December 2006 respectively. Members identify emerging issues for consideration in consultation with Government.

Faith Communities Consultative Council

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish the interim recommendations from the Faith Communities Consultative Council.

Phil Woolas: The Council will produce an end of year annual report of its activity, which will be submitted to Department for Communities and Local Government Ministers. It will outline the progress made on the issues considered throughout the annual period. The report will be published in summer 2007 and made available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website.

Fire and Rescue Service

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) average and  (b) target response time is for fire services attendance at the scene of an incident following a 999 call.

Angela Smith: Fire and rescue authorities are required by the fire and rescue service national framework to have in place and maintain an integrated risk management plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities, including appropriate response times to 999 calls. It is, therefore, for each fire and rescue authority to determine its target response.
	The average response times to primary fires, measured in minutes from first call being received in the control room to time of arrival of an appliance at the fire ground, for each fire and rescue authority in England in the calendar year 2005 were as follows:
	
		
			   Minutes 
			 Avon 7.82 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 6.97 
			 Royal Berkshire 7.47 
			 Buckinghamshire 8.17 
			 Cambridgeshire 9.18 
			 Cheshire 7.30 
			 Cleveland 5.34 
			 Cornwall 9.53 
			 Cumbria 8.94 
			 Derbyshire 7.46 
			 Devon 8.10 
			 Dorset 7.42 
			 County Durham and Darlington 8.14 
			 East Sussex 6.54 
			 Essex 7.49 
			 Gloucestershire 8.55 
			 Hampshire 7.25 
			 Hereford and Worcester 9.01 
			 Hertfordshire 6.99 
			 Humberside 6.12 
			 Isle of Wight 6.57 
			 Kent 7.69 
			 Lancashire 6.54 
			 Leicestershire 6.99 
			 Lincolnshire 9.92 
			 Norfolk 8.62 
			 North Yorkshire 8.54 
			 Northamptonshire 7.35 
			 Northumberland 8.59 
			 Nottinghamshire 6.61 
			 Oxfordshire 8.77 
			 Shropshire 8.22 
			 Somerset 9.49 
			 Staffordshire 8.33 
			 Suffolk 9.42 
			 Surrey 8.51 
			 Warwickshire 7.83 
			 West Sussex 8.76 
			 Wiltshire 9.39 
			 Isles of Scilly n/a 
			 Greater Manchester 6.02 
			 Merseyside 6.17 
			 South Yorkshire 6.80 
			 Tyne and Wear 5.26 
			 West Midlands 5.97 
			 West Yorkshire 6.81 
			 London 5.46 
			 England 6.98 
			  Source: FDR1 returns from fire and rescue services to the Department for Communities and Local Government

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to ensure that private organisations contracted to work  (a) in her Department and  (b) for non-departmental public bodies and executive agenciesfor which her Department is responsible are aware of their duties under gender equality legislation when exercising public functions on behalf of public bodies.

Angela Smith: The discrimination provisions in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 apply to both the public and private sectors. My Department has built gender equality considerations into their contracts with private sector contractors, where they are relevant to the function or service being carried out.
	From 6 April 2007, private sector organisations, when carrying out functions of a public nature on behalf of public authorities, will be required to comply with the general gender equality duty which is to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and harassment and promote equality of opportunity between women and men.
	The Department's non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies also ensure that their private sector contractors providing goods, works or services on our behalf, are aware of their obligations under the general gender equality duty and will refer to the Equal Opportunities Commission's (EOC) Code of Practice of the Gender Equality Duty and any further EOC guidance when available.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what expenditure her Department has made on pump-priming funding for home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: 4 million has been pledged to support area trials.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the purpose was of the consultancy contracts held by her Department with  (a) PA Consulting Group and  (b) Xansa UK Ltd. in relation to home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) on 16 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1025W.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home inspectors are undertaking training at each assessment centre; and what the contact details of each assessment centre are.

Yvette Cooper: The number of candidates registered with each assessment centre ranges from nil for those who have not yet begun to offer training, to in excess of 1,000 for centres who are major providers. However this information is commercially sensitive and is supplied voluntarily on that basis to my Department in order to enable us to track total numbers in training. Because of this, it would not be appropriate to provide the information split by individual centre.
	The contact details of assessment centres who are approved to offer the Diploma in Home Inspection, as drawn up by the Awarding Body for the Built Environment (ABBE) is shown on the ABBE website at http://www.abbeqa.co.uk/centres.asp, this list, together with their contact details is updated as new centres are approved.

Housing Stock Transfers

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have carried out housing stock transfers since 1997; and what surveys have been conducted on the satisfaction of tenants involved in such housing stock transfers.

Yvette Cooper: 121 authorities have transferred some or all of their housing stock to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) since 1997. The Housing Corporation (HC) requires RSLs to carry out a tenants satisfaction survey every three years and the results are included in the information supplied within RSLs' annual Regulatory and Statistical Returns made to the HC. The following table shows the number of surveys of general needs tenants carried out by Large Scale Voluntary Transfer RSLs in the last three years.
	
		
			  RSL tenant surveys between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2006, following LSVTs 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Did conduct a survey 125 89.9 
			 Did not conduct a survey 14 10.1 
			 Total 139 100.0 
		
	
	A number of organisations including Housemark and the National Housing Federation also carry out tenant satisfaction surveys from time to time.

Local Government

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria will be used to judge applications for unitary council status.

Phil Woolas: Proposals for future unitary structures will be judged against the criteria set out in our document, Invitations to Councils in England: to make proposals for future unitary structures; to pioneer, as pathfinders, new two-tier models which we published alongside the White Paper.

Local Government Finance

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what balances are held by  (a) Norfolk county council and  (b) Norfolk district councils; and what balances were held in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Schools financial reserves at 1 April 
			  000 
			   Norfolk county council  Breckland  Broadland  Great Yarmouth  Kings Lynn and West Norfolk  North Norfolk  Norwich  South Norfolk 
			 2001 12,667 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2002 15,094 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2003 17,117 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2004 17,347 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2005 29,042 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2006(1) 25,519 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Other earmarked financial reserves at 1 April 
			  000 
			   Norfolk county council  Breckland  Broadland  Great Yarmouth  Kings Lynn and West Norfolk  North Norfolk  Norwich  South Norfolk 
			 2001 14,944 3,933 2,022 567 10,255 2,738 4,303 3,280 
			 2002 15,617 4,074 2,165 602 10,313 2,979 4,785 4,122 
			 2003 16,428 4,719 2,041 652 12,323 2,975 6,168 2,916 
			 2004 21,552 6,221 2,045 695 13,744 3,229 3,924 2,400 
			 2005 46,904 7,527 1,676 726 11,383 2,244 4,679 2,095 
			 2006(1) 54,575 7,871 1,708 753 9,275 1,520 3,949 2,138 
		
	
	
		
			  Unallocated financial reserves at 1 April 
			  000 
			   Norfolk county council  Breckland  Broadland  Great Yarmouth  Kings Lynn and West Norfolk  North Norfolk  Norwich  South Norfolk 
			 2001 7,703 2,370 2,083 0 881 1,052 5,413 1,280 
			 2002 7,006 2,918 1,965 0 975 1,068 5,997 868 
			 2003 5,743 2,969 1,487 2,943 1,169 1,183 5,541 1,460 
			 2004 12,136 3,619 1,081 2,212 1,037 1,179 4,181 1,131 
			 2005 14,946 3,810 2,659 1,189 1,177 965 3,087 2,046 
			 2006(1) 10,495 3,789 4,105 1,085 1,537 1,000 1,947 1,999 
		
	
	
		
			  Estimated pensions reserves at 1 April( 2) 
			  000 
			   Norfolk County Council  Breckland  Broadland  Great Yarmouth  Kings Lynn and West Norfolk  North Norfolk  Norwich  South Norfolk 
			 2003 -307,259 -12,076 -5,440 -25,472 -21,216 -3,906 n/a -11,277 
			 2004 -254,040 -8,165 -10,300 -17,874 -14,413 -9,090 -40,301 -7,298 
			 2005 -419,800 -14,400 -10,300 -27,200 -26,700 -17,200 -72,000 -13,800 
			 2006(1) -434,500 -14,845 -10,680 -26,870 -27,600 -17,604 -75,293 -14,600 
			 n/a = not available. (1) The 2006 figures are the outturn 2005-06 closing balances at 31 March 2006. (2) Estimated Pensions Reserves are part of accounts prepared on a Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 17 basis, Information was collected from 2003-04 onwards.  Source: Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns for 2001-02 to 2005-06RS form.

Local Government Funding

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was payable in grants to  (a) Leicestershire county council and  (b) Charnwood borough council by her Department in each year since 2001.

Phil Woolas: The following tables set out the grant payments made by the Department for Communities and Local Government and its predecessors (where they were responsible for the grants set out in the table) to  (a) Leicestershire county council and  (b) Charnwood borough council in each year since 2001.
	
		
			  (a) Leicestershire county council 
			  Programme  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 1)  Total 
			 Local authority business growth initiative (LABGI) 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.572 0.000 0.572 
			 Regional chamberEast Midlands 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 1.426 1.426 
			 Supporting peopleadministration 0.190 0.430 0.440 0.440 0.350 0.350 2.200 
			 Supporting peopleprogramme 0.000 0.000 7.010 7.170 6.810 6.690 27.680 
			 Programme delivery grant 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.119 0.085 0.077 0.281 
			 Invest to save budget 0.000 0.153 0.092 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.245 
			 Local government online 0.000 0.550 0.200 1.100 0.200 0.000 2.050 
			 Local area agreements 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.400 9.400 9.800 
			 Local public service agreementspump priming grant 0.000 0.000 1.400 0.000 0.000 0.000 1.400 
			 PSA performance fundresource 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.458 0.458 
			 PSA performance fundcapital 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.916 0.916 
			 Total (non-formula grant) 0.190 1.133 9.142 8.829 8.417 19.317 47.028 
			 Formula grant 276.429 263.700 298.556 307.703 331.737 77.019  1,555.144 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Charnwood borough council 
			  Programme  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 1)  Total 
			 Local authority business Growth initiative (LABGI) 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.572 0.000 0.572 
			 Community cohesion pathfinder programme 0.000 0.000 0.150 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.150 
			 Homelessness grant 0.000 0.109 0.116 0.074 0.074 0.074 0.447 
			 Planning delivery grant 0.000 0.000 0.094 0.141 0.447 0.369 1.051 
			 Housing revenue account subsidy (HRAS)1 -2.935 -3.158 -3.416 -2.554 -2.653 -2.495 -17.211 
			 Disabled facilities grant 0.199 0.275 0.272 0.221 0.240 0.275 1.482 
			 Local government online 0.000 0.000 0.200 0.000 0.150 0.000 0.350 
			 Non-domestic rates outturn adjustments 0.000 0.000 0.600 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.600 
			 Total (non-formula grant) -2.736 -2.774 -1.984 -2.118 -1.170 -1.777 -12.559 
			 Formula grant 8.833 9.223 9.455 9.382 9.744 10.770 57.407 
			 (1) Planned  Notes: 1. From 2004 onwards rent rebate was taken out of HRAS. Figures for 2001-02 and 2003-04 above are for the housing element which directly equate to those from 2004 onwards. The HRA subsidy system calculates that Charnwood receive a surplus of notional rental income over their assessed need to spend. These surpluses are captured and recycled within the system to authorities in deficit.

Local Government Ombudsman

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many cases have been referred to the Local Government Ombudsman in each year since 1976; how many cases were completed in each year; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many cases are being investigated by the Local Government Ombudsman; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what the average length of time taken was for a case to be investigated by the Local Government Ombudsman in the last period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how many caseworkers are employed by the Local Government Ombudsman; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The information requested on the number of complaints referred to the Local Government Ombudsman and the number of cases dealt with is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Complaints received  Complaints dealt with 
			 1975-76 2,249 1,916 
			 1976-77 2,277 1,930 
			 1977-78 2,464 1,519 
			 1978-79 2,116 2,031 
			 1979-80 2,181 2,105 
			 1980-81 2,434 2,303 
			 1981-82 2,706 2,501 
			 1982-83 2,753 2,763 
			 1983-84 3,034 3,019 
			 1984-85 3,389 3,284 
			 1985-86 3,502 3,134 
			 1986-87 4,059 3,853 
			 1987-88 4,229 4,158 
			 1988-89 7,055 5,961 
			 1989-90 8,733 7,290 
			 1990-91 9,169 9,104 
			 1991-92 12,123 10,713 
			 1992-93 13,307 14,057 
			 1993-94 14,253 13,718 
			 1994-95 15,525 15,140 
			 1995-96 15,266 16,344 
			 1996-97 15,322 15,412 
			 1997-98 14,969 15,262 
			 1998-99 15,869 15,653 
			 1999-2000 17,555 16,759 
			 2000-01 19,179 18,220 
			 2001-02 18,309 19,055 
			 2002-03 17,610 18,376 
			 2003-04 18,982 18,658 
			 2004-05 18,698 18,487 
			 2005-06 18,626 18,321 
		
	
	The number of cases under investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman as at 30 November 2006 was 4,922.
	The average time taken for a case to be dealt with by the Local Government Ombudsman in the 12 months prior to 30 November 2006 was 13.6 weeks.
	The Local Government Ombudsman employs 106 investigators.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which sectors of employment are covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme; what the membership of the scheme is in each sector; what estimate she has made of the average length of service in the scheme in each sector; and what estimate she has made of the proportion of total employment in each sector that scheme membership represents.

Phil Woolas: Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme covers a number of different employment sectors including all local authority staff, non-operational staff in the police and firelighters' sectors and non-teaching staff in the education sector. Non-local authority sectors that participate in the scheme include, for example, voluntary bodies, charities, housing bodies and private sector companies delivering local authority type services under contract.
	Specific information about the number of scheme members in each of these sectors; the average length of service in each sector and the proportion of the total employment they represent, is not held centrally. However, data which are available indicate that about one fifth of the 1.6 million active members of the LGPS are employed in the non-local government sector. Individual Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities will have the membership details within each of the sectors requested.

London Olympics

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential role of  (a) the regions,  (b) cities and  (c) Coventry in the Olympic Games.

Yvette Cooper: The role of the regions in the Olympic Games, and the actions necessary to capture regional opportunities, are receiving detailed consideration through the medium of the Olympic Regional Delivery Plans which each region is currently preparing. The process involves key urban authorities in each case, including Coventry in the West Midlands.
	My department is involved in the cross government work in this area.

Ministerial Visits

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Ministers in her Department have visited Leicester in the last year; and where they visited in Leicester.

Phil Woolas: Communities and Local Government Ministers have visited Leicester on five occasions in the last year.
	The Minister for Housing and Planning attended a meeting in the Town Hall and visited a development site at Carlton Square. The Minister for Local Government visited Leicester as part of the programme of Preventing Extremism Together re-visits. The Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Meg Munn) visited Leicester's Peepul Centre. The Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela E. Smith) visited the Leicester Fire and Rescue Service Southern Fire and Rescue Centre and the Leicester Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters.
	All Ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Ministerial Visits

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account she takes of the use to which funds raised by a conference are to be put before deciding whether it is appropriate for a Minister in her Department to attend in an official capacity; and what guidance she has issued on this matter.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister (UIN 110372).

Out-of-town Grocery Outlets

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria included in PPS6 will be used to assess the merits of future applications for large-format out-of-town grocery outlets.

Yvette Cooper: Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for town centres, published in March 2005, sets out the Government's policy and how it bears upon the determination of planning applications for out of town retail development. The key considerations to be taken into account in assessing such applications are set out in Paragraph 3.4 of PPS6.

Oxford Cambridge Arc

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has provided to Bedfordshire county council in relation to the Oxford Cambridge Arc.

Yvette Cooper: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not provided any funds to Bedfordshire county council specifically in relationto the Oxford Cambridge Arc initiative. The Oxford to Cambridge Arc initiative is funded and overseen jointly by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA), and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).

Public Appointments

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which public appointments have been made by her Department and its predecessor to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

Angela Smith: I am unaware of any public appointments made by my Department and its predecessor to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

Public Opinion Research

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government, established on 5 May 2006 has spent 35,000 on commissioning public opinion research.
	Expenditure on public opinion research for the previous four years under the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are as follows:
	
		
			
			 2002-03 6,250 
			 2003-04 0.00 
			 2004-05 0.00 
			 2005-06 44,500

Resident Co-ordinators

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding is available from her Department to help  (a) local authorities and  (b) crime and disorder reduction partnerships employ resident co-ordinators to reduce antisocial behaviour in communities.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government does not provide funding specifically towards the employment of resident co-ordinators to reduce anti-social behaviour in communities. However, a number of funding streams are provided by my Department to local authorities to meet their local priorities. It is the local authority's responsibility to ensure funds are available to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships to meet community safety priorities.

Secondments

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which staff in her Department are seconded from organisations with charitable status; and which have  (a) costs and  (b) salaries met (i) in part and (ii) in whole (A) from public funds and (B) by the charity from which they are seconded.

Angela Smith: There is presently one member of staff seconded from an organisation with charitable status. The cost and salary is met in the whole from public funds.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Alzheimer's

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government policy is on the prescription of Alzheimer's drugs based on a clinical need as assessed by medical staff in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Current policy is that the drugs donezepil, galantamine, rivastigmine and memantine are available on prescription in Northern Ireland following examination and recommendation by a consultant. These medicines can subsequently be prescribed and monitored by general practitioners for individual patients. The position on the availability of drugs for treating people with Alzheimer's disease is being reviewed by my Department in light of the recent NICE technology appraisal on Alzheimer's drugs and the institute's broader clinical guideline on the management of dementia.

Benefits

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people claimed  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit,  (c) attendance allowance,  (d) income support and  (e) job seeker's allowance in each of the 26 district council areas in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: The information requested is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Number of disability living allowanceallowances in each of the 26 district council areas in each of the last three years 
			   DLA claimants as at February each year 
			  District council  2004  2005  2006 
			 Northern Ireland 159,088 165,599 169,691 
			 Unallocated 1,700 2,202 1,729 
			 Antrim 3,783 3,955 4,032 
			 Ards 5,237 5,470 5,786 
			 Armagh 4,781 4,937 5,194 
			 Ballymena 3,520 3,700 3,833 
			 Ballymoney 2,156 2,326 2,408 
			 Banbridge 3,534 3,739 3,970 
			 Belfast 33,957 34,570 35,149 
			 Carrickfergus 2,710 2,848 2,987 
			 Castlereagh 4,713 4,912 5,047 
			 Coleraine 3,460 3,708 3,811 
			 Cookstown 3,810 3,925 3,967 
			 Craigavon 8,467 8,870 9,148 
			 Derry 12,874 13,259 13,479 
			 Down 5,849 6,188 6,445 
			 Dungannon 5,260 5,482 5,602 
			 Fermanagh 4,532 4,747 4,920 
			 Larne 2,047 2,146 2,254 
			 Limavady 2.838 2,915 2,975 
			 Lisburn 9,050 9,401 9,586 
			 Magherafelt 2,907 3,052 3,127 
			 Moyle 1,239 1,300 1,354 
			 Newry and Mourne 9,408 9,825 10,008 
			 Newtownabbey 6,077 6,350 6,485 
			 North Down 4,243 4,431 4,675 
			 Omagh 5,735 5,972 6,222 
			 Strabane 5,201 5,369 5,498 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of attendance allowanceallowances in each of the 26 district council areas in each of the last three years 
			   AA claimants as at February each year 
			  District council  2004  2005  2006 
			 Northern Ireland 64,766 65,211 63,545 
			 Unallocated 735 798 699 
			 Antrim 1,258 1,315 1,310 
			 Ards 2,766 2,787 2,753 
			 Armagh 2,164 2,162 2,149 
			 Ballymena 2,047 2,117 2,073 
			 Ballymoney 1,047 1,074 1,064 
			 Banbridge 1,562 1,578 1,592 
			 Belfast 12,345 12,085 11,540 
			 Carrickfergus 1,250 1,280 1,290 
			 Castlereagh 2,520 2,575 2,527 
			 Coleraine 2,105 2,152 2,116 
			 Cookstown 1,391 1,394 1,359 
			 Craigavon 3,030 3,025 2,934 
			 Derry 2,870 2,857 2,750 
			 Down 2,345 2,422 2,393 
			 Dungannon 2,066 2,070 1,996 
			 Fermanagh 2,594 2,605 2,561 
			 Larne 1,108 1,150 1,122 
			 Limavady 1,069 1,096 1,040 
			 Lisburn 3,373 3,437 3,402 
			 Magherafelt 1,564 1,537 1,520 
			 Moyle 673 728 715 
			 Newry and Mourne 3,569 3,549 3,432 
			 Newtownabbey 2,825 2,854 2,812 
			 North Down 3,057 3,142 3,097 
			 Omagh 1,926 1,929 1,857 
			 Strabane 1,507 1,493 1,442 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of incapacity benefit claimants in each of the 26 district council areas in each of the last three years 
			   IB claimants as at February each year 
			  District council  2004  2005  2006 
			 Northern Ireland 110,970 112,238 112,996 
			 Unallocated 1,188 1,622 1,336 
			 Antrim 2,481 2,502 2,521 
			 Ards 3,793 3,878 3,922 
			 Armagh 3,517 3,551 3,592 
			 Ballymena 3,177 3,180 3,153 
			 Ballymoney 1,734 1,812 1,827 
			 Banbridge 2,502 2,601 2,701 
			 Belfast 21,597 21,913 22,497 
			 Carrickfergus 1,902 1,940 1,956 
			 Castlereagh 3,042 3,094 3,048 
			 Coleraine 2,958 3,053 3,161 
			 Cookstown 2,712 2,608 2,529 
			 Craigavon 6,023 6,102 6,128 
			 Derry 9,850 9,797 9,721 
			 Down 3,799 3,851 3,895 
			 Dungannon 3,578 3,439 3,529 
			 Fermanagh 3,129 3,160 3,223 
			 Larne 1,734 1,721 1,760 
			 Limavady 2,201 2,253 2,243 
			 Lisburn 5,659 5,736 5,777 
			 Magherafelt 2,486 2,388 2,333 
			 Moyle 1,039 1,090 1,074 
			 Newry and Mourne 6,486 6,481 6,575 
			 Newtownabbey 4,243 4,270 4,253 
			 North Down 2,876 2,924 2,988 
			 Omagh 3,688 3,678 3,739 
			 Strabane 3,576 3,594 3,515 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of income support claimants in each of the 26 district council areas in each of the last three years 
			   IS claimants as at February each year 
			  District council  2004  2005  2006 
			 Northern Ireland 101,180 102,140 100,720 
			 Unallocated 700 1,060 620 
			 Antrim 2,000 2,120 2,000 
			 Ards 2,480 2,280 2,240 
			 Armagh 2,100 2,160 2,200 
			 Ballymena 2,080 1,980 2,240 
			 Ballymoney 1,260 1,260 1,200 
			 Banbridge 1,440 1,420 1,460 
			 Belfast 26,440 26,720 26,140 
			 Carrickfergus 1,580 1,520 1,540 
			 Castlereagh 1,760 2,020 2,020 
			 Coleraine 2,560 2,440 2,680 
			 Cookstown 2,100 2,080 2,000 
			 Craigavon 4,860 4,900 5,000 
			 Derry 10,660 10,660 10,360 
			 Down 2,820 2,960 3,040 
			 Dungannon 3,840 3,760 3,360 
			 Fermanagh 3,100 2,960 2,800 
			 Larne 1,260 1,360 1,300 
			 Limavady 2,160 2,240 2,000 
			 Lisburn 5,060 5,460 5,460 
			 Magherafelt 1,680 1,540 1,500 
			 Moyle 840 840 880 
			 Newry and Mourne 6,660 6,680 6,680 
			 Newtownabbey 3,360 3,140 3,160 
			 North Down 2,140 2,340 2,340 
			 Omagh 3,080 2,960 2,860 
			 Strabane 3,160 3,280 3,500 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of jobseekers allowance claimants in each of the 26 district council areas in each of the last three years 
			   JSA claimants as at February each year 
			  District council  2004  2005  2006 
			 Northern Ireland 33,200 29,415 28,640 
			 Unallocated
			 Antrim 765 525 575 
			 Ards 1,275 1,085 975 
			 Armagh 855 740 560 
			 Ballymena 755 660 720 
			 Ballymoney 425 320 390 
			 Banbridge 415 490 345 
			 Belfast 7,900 6,785 6,835 
			 Carrickfergus 690 595 575 
			 Castlereagh 755 585 610 
			 Coleraine 1,285 1,430 1,080 
			 Cookstown 345 360 355 
			 Craigavon 1,330 960 1,115 
			 Derry 3,675 3,530 3,640 
			 Down 1,265 1,060 950 
			 Dungannon 570 485 585 
			 Fermanagh 1,335 1,040 960 
			 Larne 495 400 360 
			 Limavady 790 670 645 
			 Lisburn 1,420 1,435 1,335 
			 Magherafelt 355 285 360 
			 Moyle 310 345 265 
			 Newry and Mourne 1,580 1,410 1,340 
			 Newtownabbey 1,010 1,085 1,005 
			 North Down 1,090 950 840 
			 Omagh 965 830 890 
			 Strabane 1,425 1,245 1,195

Buses

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average daily passenger numbers were for each Goldliner Express bus route to Belfast in each month in the last three years.

David Cairns: Translink has advised that figures are not available in the form requested. Total passenger numbers for 11 Ulsterbus Goldline services which operate to and from Belfast, for each month in the last three years, are as follows:
	
		
			  Ulsterbus routeDecember 2003 to May 2004 
			   2003  2004 
			  Route  December  January  February  March  April  May 
			 212 Belfast-Londonderry via Dungiven 44,609 38,190 41,744 43,984 39,906 41,876 
			 215 Belfast-Downpatrick 6,297 4,640 4,657 5,075 5,742 7,410 
			 218 Belfast-Coleraine via Ballymena 11,746 10,409 11,316 12,044 13,709 16,400 
			 219 Belfast-Ballymena 5,189 4,672 3,894 4,846 3,368 2,551 
			 220 Belfast-Antrim 5,752 5,029 4,783 5,289 4,469 3,896 
			 238 Belfast-Newry 25,766 25,599 26,641 28,351 23,253 25,770 
			 250 Belfast-Craigavon 1,170 1,217 1,262 1,526 1,064 1,510 
			 251 Belfast-Armagh 6,604 5,545 6,066 6,001 5,268 6,485 
			 256 Belfast - Larne 8,468 6,392 5,798 7,051 6,151 6,553 
			 261 Belfast-Enniskillen 23,281 20,201 23,360 23,111 21,243 22,456 
			 273 Belfast-Londonderry via Omagh 19,895 17,635 18,583 19,834 18,012 21,111 
		
	
	
		
			  Ulsterbus routeJune to November 2004 
			  Route  June  July  August  September  October  November 
			 212 Belfast-Londonderry via Dungiven 37,966 34,732 39,742 43,180 49,770 49,913 
			 215 Belfast-Downpatrick 8,075 8,853 9,620 9,293 9,207 9,564 
			 218 Belfast-Coleraine via Ballymena 17,510 18,685 20,146 18,811 18,095 18,409 
			 219 Belfast-Ballymena 2,381 2,387 2,338 2,958 2,468 2,682 
			 220 Belfast-Antrim 4,116 3,104 3,309 3,969 4,637 4,748 
			 238 Belfast-Newry 25,511 25,208 27,003 30,148 30,730 29,743 
			 250 Belfast-Craigavon 1,684 1,288 1,439 1,787 1,824 1,875 
			 251 Belfast-Armagh 5,585 4,982 5,423 6,363 6,847 5,549 
			 256 Belfast-Larne 7,035 6,589 7,222 7,230 6,862 7,336 
			 261 Belfast-Enniskillen 18,778 20,862 23,814 21,156 24,344 21,667 
			 273 Belfast-Londonderry via Omagh 20,366 21,237 22,602 24,434 27,863 26,659 
		
	
	
		
			  Ulsterbus routeDecember 2004 to May 2005 
			   2004  2005 
			  Route  December  January  February  March  April  May 
			 212 Belfast-Londonderry via Dungiven 42,779 38,284 40,889 41,180 41,568 42,024 
			 215 Belfast-Downpatrick 10,647 9,326 9,968 10,333 10,390 10,283 
			 218 Belfast-Coleraine via Ballymena 18,199 13,962 14,452 16,712 16,582 16,694 
			 219 Belfast-Ballymena 2,477 . 2,788 3,039 3,237 3,241 3,119 
			 220 Belfast-Antrim 3,795 3,798 3,668 3,734 4,213 3,824 
			 238 Belfast-Newry 26,499 25,325 27,271 27,065 27,187 27,501 
			 250 Belfast-Craigavon 1,567 2,342 2,875 2,914 3,441 3,018 
			 251 Belfast-Armagh 5,602 4,573 4,297 4,322 4,587 4,483 
			 256 Belfast-Larne 7,804 6,794 7,289 7,697 8,900 8,721 
			 261 Belfast-Enniskillen 21,146 18,178 19,400 20,006 20,433 20,629 
			 273 Belfast-Londonderry via Omagh 25,980 22,513 24,011 24,662 23,793 23,107 
		
	
	
		
			  Ulsterbus routeJune to November 2005 
			  Route  June  July  August  September  October  November 
			 212 Belfast-Londonderry via Dungiven 38,103 35,585 41,852 43,412 49,677 48,966 
			 215 Belfast-Downpatrick 10,788 9,991 11,825 11,806 12,577 12,735 
			 218 Belfast-Coleraine via Ballymena 18,226 19,143 20,494 16,564 16,879 16,446 
			 219 Belfast-Ballymena 3,032 3,463 3,949 5,520 6,155 6,848 
			 220 Belfast-Antrim 4,044 2,728 3,533 3,817 3,612 3,780 
			 238 Belfast-Newry 27,966 24,846 29,040 30,846 31,896 31,110 
			 250 Belfast-Craigavon 3,407 2,647 3,192 3,106 3,434 3,565 
			 251 Belfast-Armagh 4,163 3,791 4,506 4,652 5,118 5,170 
			 256 Belfast-Larne 9,784 8,899 10,423 10,318 10,993 11,858 
			 261 Belfast-Enniskillen 18,954 21,048 24,905 20,496 23,581 22,856 
			 273 Belfast-Londonderry via Omagh 21,825 20,750 23,209 23,860 26,349 25,269 
		
	
	
		
			  Ulsterbus routeDecember 2005 to May 2006 
			   2005  2006 
			  Route  December  January  February  March  April  May 
			 212 Belfast-Londonderry via Dungiven 46,580 41,755 44,338 45,596 40,195 44,305 
			 215 Belfast-Downpatrick 13,812 12,351 12,379 12,527 11,464 12,723 
			 218 Belfast-Coleraine via Ballymena 16,399 14,483 14,500 15,341 15,225 15,539 
			 219 Belfast-Ballymena 6,674 6,545 6,605 6,911 5,935 6,973 
			 220 Belfast-Antrim 2,926 3,246 3,065 3,198 2,662 2,973 
			 238 Belfast-Newry 29,437 28,153 28,191 30,212 27,018 29,687 
			 250 Belfast-Craigavon 2,973 3,147 3,009 3,271 2,893 3,062 
			 251 Belfast - Armagh 4,799 4,128 4,626 5,020 4,227 4,450 
			 256 Belfast-Larne 11,506 10,219 9,733 10,169 9,003 9,932 
			 261 Belfast - Enniskillen 22,623 18,706 19,764 21,073 20,096 20,267 
			 273 Belfast-Londonderry via Omagh 26,904 22,791 23,847 24,961 22,878 25,624 
		
	
	
		
			   Ulsterbus routeJune to November 2006 
			  Route  June  July  August  September  October  November 
			 212 Belfast-Londonderry via Dungiven 39,197 36,166 42,399 45,440 51,116 48,335 
			 215 Belfast-Downpatrick 12,424 10,560 13,225 13,339 13,394 13,497 
			 218 Belfast-Coleraine via Ballymena 15,798 15,260 17,071 16,195 15,626 15,581 
			 219 Belfast-Ballymena 7,071 6,462 8,004 7,547 8,261 8,102 
			 220 Belfast - Antrim 2,828 1,952 2,443 3,000 3,365 3,188 
			 238 Belfast-Newry 28,979 24,076 30,425 31,529 33,197 32,138 
			 250 Belfast-Craigavon 3,234 2,730 3,116 3,499 3,489 3,520 
			 251 Belfast-Armagh 4,029 3,993 4,788 4,521 5,127 5,097 
			 256 Belfast-Larne 9,850 8,909 10,347 9,732 10,501 10,496 
			 261 Belfast-Enniskillen 19,728 21,150 24,505 20,233 23,366 22,368 
			 273 Belfast-Londonderry via Omagh 21,661 21,011 23,089 22,744 25,492 23,021

CCTV: Diamond, Portstewart

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the contract was awarded for the installation of CCTV cameras at the Diamond in Portstewart; and when the decision was taken to tender for the contract.

David Hanson: The installation of cameras at the Diamond in Portstewart is part of the wider CCTV Challenge Fund competition for the expansion of town centre CCTV schemes. The award of the contract for installation of the cameras was conducted as a two stage process. The first stage was to ask for expressions of interest. This was followed by a shortlisting exercise. On 15 March 2006 those successful at shortlisting were then invited to submit tenders. The closing date for tender applications was 10 April 2006 with the successful applicant being awarded the contract on 27 July 2006. A second contract to provide the fibre optical cabling was awarded. This contract was not subject to a tendering process as technical advice was that there was only one supplier with the capacity to meet the specification requirements across Northern Ireland. All decisions throughout the CCTV Challenge Fund Competition have been guided by expert technical advice from PSNI.

Child Sex Offenders

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many child sex offenders were convicted in Northern Ireland in each of the last10 years.

David Hanson: Northern Ireland court proceedings and sentencing data sources do not include victim information in relation to the commission of an offence. It is therefore possible only to provide the number of convictions for those offences which, by their definition, identify a child as the victim, (for example, gross indecency with child), figures for which are given in the following table.
	Data cover the calendar years 1995 to 2004, the latter being the most up-to-date available at present. It should be noted that data are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Number of convictions for sexual offences against children 1995-2004 
			  Offence  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Gross indecency with child 8 7 2 3 0 9 1 4 6 3 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 6 
			 Buggery with girl 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 3 3 4 1 2 3 1 1 1 4 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 16 9 7 6 2 6 3 1 5 2 
			 Incest by man with female under 14 years 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 
			 Indecent assault on female child 0 0 0 12 6 23 8 2 3 3 
			 Indecent assault on male child 0 0 0 2 1 7 2 0 0 4 
			 Distributing indecent photographs of children 0 1 0 0 0 4 2 2 0 1 
			 Possessing indecent photographs of child(ren) 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 3 2 
			 Taking indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 9 8 
			 Copying indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 
			 Publishing advertisement relating to indecent photographs of children 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Making indecent photograph or pseudo photographs of children 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 
			 Total 27 21 14 25 14 57 24 16 29 43 
			  Note: Data are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.

Community Support Officers

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many community support officers he expects to be recruited in Northern Ireland in each of the next five years.

Paul Goggins: I am advised that the PSNI intends to recruit approximately 400 police community support officers over the next four years. It is anticipated that approximately 100 will be recruited and trained per annum.
	The introduction of PCSOs to policing in Northern Ireland will help build on the existing commitment of the PSNI to making communities safer throughthe delivery of community policing and effective neighbourhood policing plans. PCSOs will play an important role within the wider policing family and will build on the work to date.
	PCSOs will be an additional resource to complement and support police officers by addressing many of the quality of life issues that affect our communities that do not require the powers or experience of regular officers.

Departmental Energy Policy

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to ensure that his Department becomes carbon neutral.

Peter Hain: The Government set a target in the NI Sustainable Development Strategy of carbon neutrality for the government estate by 2015.
	At the end of November I announced the publication of a Sustainable Development Implementation Plan, 'A Positive Step'. A copy can be downloaded at:
	http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/economic-policy-and-effectiveness.htm
	The plan sets out the key actions for achieving carbon neutrality including; reducing the size of the government estate through the Workplace 2010 Project; reductions in carbon emissions through investment in renewable energy sources, again through the Workplace 2010 Project; increased use of electricity generated from green sources; and investing in energy efficiency through the Central Energy Efficiency Fund.
	The NIO occupies a number of buildings on agreement from the Department of Finance and Personnel. We will be working with colleagues in DFP and across the Northern Ireland Departments to ensure we play our part in achieving this target. In addition we are currently working on the installation of biomass heating and solar panels at Hillsborough Castle, the only building we own and occupy.
	The NIO are also participating in the DEFRA run Government Carbon Offsetting Fund. All central Government ministerial and official air travel is being offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases Certified Emissions Reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.

Departmental Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by each Northern Ireland Department on  (a) press, public relations, publicity and communications work and  (b) advertising during (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06; and what the planned expenditure is in each category for 2006-07.

David Hanson: The Departments do not hold the information in the format requested. Listed, as follows, are the Departments' expenditure on their press offices and any other communications business areas including staff and general administration costs; and expenditure on activities such as printing of departmental publications and production of marketing material, media monitoring, facilitation of media briefings, event management, provision of photography of Government initiatives to media outlets and development of departmental websites.
	
		
			  Part (a) 
			   
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 (estimate) 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 1,164,074 1,353,567 1,374,462 1,375,096 
			 Agriculture and Rural Development 1,295,181 1,323,212 1,469,392 1,161,804 
			 Culture, Arts and Leisure 145,568 235,246 219,544 480,840 
			 Education 643,710 489,869 508,961 (1)271,548 
			 Employment and Learning 680,696 891,110 817,677 969,009 
			 Enterprise, Trade and Investment 682,503 635,280 564,063 321,974 
			 Environment 1,080,632 1,625,271 1,883,552 1,921,292 
			 Finance and Personnel 435,600 433,900 492,600 513,100 
			 Health, Social Services and Public Safety 725,792 913,229 789,765 624,186 
			 Regional Development(2) 702,622 685,563 742,905 1,009,894 
			 Social Development 855,846 791,832 833,583 786,689 
			 Northern Ireland Office (3) 226,652 132,966 120,254 
			 (1) Excludes possible expenditure on printing, as 2006-07 figures not yet known. (2) The Department for Regional Development's expenditure, excludes Water Service where figures could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (3) 2003-04 figure could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as financial information is not readily available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Part (b) advertising expenditure 
			   
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 (estimate) 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 324,053 191,800 80,461 20,000 
			 Agriculture and Rural Development 371,573 371,227 373,334 215,316 
			 Culture, Arts and Leisure 24,758 11,517 42,932 64,560 
			 Education 80,266 73,137 17,168 32,261 
			 Employment and Learning 149,210 498,570 550,738 480,503 
			 Enterprise, Trade and Investment 154,656 88,420 172,254 1,071,710 
			 Environment 977,821 1,333,024 1,554,283 2,845,744 
			 Finance and Personnel 298,260 280,789 446,317 82,000 
			 Health, Social Services and Public Safety 355,141 277,494 272,284 626,500 
			 Regional Development 24,282 22,364 46,910 1,070,148 
			 Social Development 107,793 98,766 99,354 182,658 
			 Northern Ireland Office 192,978 279,697 419,633 113,922

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many value for money exercises on the use of  (a) management consultants and  (b) professional advisers were conducted by his Department in each of the last five years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its Agencies and NDPBs, has not conducted any value for money exercises on the use of  (a) management consultants and  (b) professional advisers in the last five years.
	The NIO has in place a policy on the Use of External Consultants. This policy provides for annual reporting and a review of actual prior year and planned current year expenditure by the Departmental Audit Committee.
	In June 2004, the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) produced a report, Use of Consultants, which can be found:
	http://www.niauditoffice.gov.uk/pubs/reports/2004/Consultants/FullReport.pdf.
	It emphasised that, as with all public expenditure, ensuring maximum value for money should always be the principal consideration in any decision to engage external consultants.
	In October 2006, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) published Delivering value from Consultancy: A guide for public sector clients and suppliers on the use of consultants within Government. This can be found on OGC's website www.ogc.gov.uk at the following link:
	http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/DeliveringValue FromConsultancyCP0076.pdf
	Also, the National Audit Office has been conducting a study on the public sector's use of consultants which is due to be published in December 2006.

Disability Discrimination Act

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the timescale is for public houses and clubs in Northern Ireland to comply with the requirement of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and what the penalty will be for non-compliance.

David Hanson: Under Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 providers of services to the public (including public houses and clubs) are already under a duty not to discriminate against disabled people and to make reasonable adjustments to the way they provide their services. An individual person claiming discrimination under Part III of the DDA may bring civil proceedings in the county court.
	Currently, private clubs which do not offer goods or services to the general public are not covered by the existing DDA duties on service providers. Under the provisions of the Disability Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 the disability legislation will be extended in early 2007 to give disabled people new rights not to be discriminated against by private clubs of 25 or more persons.
	Claims of discrimination against private clubs will also be dealt with by the county court. If successful, a disabled person could be awarded compensation for any financial loss, including injury to feelings. The disabled person may also seek an injunction to prevent the service provider repeating any discriminatory act in the future.

Epilepsy

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were diagnosed with epilepsy in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: Official estimates of the number of people diagnosed with epilepsy in each year are not available. However, under the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) of the General Medical Services contract, the total number of GP-registered patients aged 16 and over with a diagnosis of epilepsy is recorded. There are two years of data available as follows.
	
		
			  As at 14 February  Number of GP-registered patients aged 16 and over with epilepsy 
			 2005 13,202 
			 2006 13,679 
			  Source:  Payment Calculation and Analysis System.

Further Education Budget

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the budget for further education was in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years.

Maria Eagle: The budget for further education in Northern Ireland for the past five years has been:
	
		
			   million 
			 2001-02 143.060 
			 2002-03 153.204 
			 2003-04 169.794 
			 2004-05 173.769 
			 2005-06 189.780

Further Education Budget

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the budget for further education in Northern Ireland is for 2007-08.

Maria Eagle: The current budget allocation for further education in Northern Ireland for 2007-08 is 197,060,000.

Health Statistics

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were diagnosed with  (a) cancer,  (b) heart disease and  (c) Alzheimer's disease in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Information on all cancers diagnosed in Northern Ireland 2002 to 2004 is shown in Table 1. This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Incidence of all cancers in Northern Ireland: 2002 to 2004 
			   All cancers  All cancers excluding non-melanoma skin cancer 
			   2002  2003  2004  2002  2003  2004 
			 Male 4,586 4,719 4,643 3,297 3,425 3,427 
			 Female 4,598 4,726 4,662 3,507 3,602 3,593 
			 All persons 9,184 9,445 9,305 6,804 7,027 7,020 
			  Notes:  1. Incidence refers to the number of new cases of a cancer diagnosed in Northern Ireland for a particular period.  2. Incidence of cancer are identified using version 10 of the international classification of diseases and related health problems (ICD10). The code for non-melanoma skin cancer is C44  3. Figures for all newly diagnosed cases of cancer including and excluding non- melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are provided as patients diagnosed with NMSC are sometimes excluded from incidence figures as survival is excellent and many registries do not collect this information. 
		
	
	 (b) Official estimates of the number of people diagnosed with coronary heart disease are not available. However, under the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) of the General Medical Services contract, the total number of GP-registered patients with coronary heart disease is recorded at a particular point in time. There are two years of data available as follows.
	
		
			  Table 2: Prevalence of coronary heart disease 
			  As at 14 February  Number of patients on QOF coronary heart disease register 
			 2005 74,921 
			 2006 75,988 
			  Source:  Payment Calculation and Analysis System 
		
	
	 (c) There are no official estimates of the number of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Hearing Aids

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what the average waiting time is for a  (a) hearing test and  (b) fitting for a digital hearing aid in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  how many people are on a waiting list for a digital hearing aid in each of the trust areas in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Information on the average waiting time for a hearing aid test in each trust in Northern Ireland is not collected centrally. Information is also not collected centrally on the number of patients on a waiting list for a digital hearing aid in each trust in Northern Ireland. However, information is collected on the number of people who were waiting for a hearing aid assessment/re-assessment to be completed in each of the health and social services boards according to specified time bands. Waiting time is counted from the date a referral is received by the Audiology Department until the hearing aid is fitted.
	All new patients assessed as requiring a hearing aid are fitted with a digital hearing aid. Analogue hearing aids are normally only issued as replacements to current users of analogue aids for whom a digital hearing aid is unsuitable.
	Waiting list information is collected by time band. It is therefore not possible to calculate the arithmetic mean (average) waiting time for a digital hearing aid. Information in the following table is for the quarter ending 31 March 2006, the first quarter for which information is available.
	At 31 March 2006, 2,184 patients were waiting for a hearing assessment/re-assessment in Northern Ireland; 943 in the Southern Board, 837 in the Eastern Board, 340 in the Western Board, and 64 in the Northern Board.
	
		
			  Patients waiting for a hearing aid assessment or re-assessment at 31 March 
			  HSS Board  Less than 3 months  3 to 6 months  6 to 12 months  12 months or more  Patients 
			 EHSSB 149 208 458 22 837 
			 NHSSB 35 29 0 0 64 
			 SHSSB 286 183 384 90 943 
			 WHSSB 93 0 247 0 340 
			 Northern Ireland 563 420 1,089 112 2,184 
			  Source:  Community Information Branch return AUDI.

Inquiries

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what he estimates will be the final total expenditure on the Historic Enquiry Team.

Paul Goggins: The Government are committed to dealing with the past in Northern Ireland in order to help the whole community to move forward. Reviewing unresolved deaths as a result of the security situation is one measure by which to help achieve this. A significant amount of money has been allocated to the task and all the organisations involved in the work are committed to working together to ensure the overall benefits are maximised. In support of the Chief Constable's initiative and to reflect the importance placed on the project by Government in seeking to help the families of victims, 34 million over six years has been provided for this work. 24.2 million of this funding has been allocated to the Historical Enquiries Team with the remainder being allocated to other organisations involved based on the actual impact this work may have on them.

Inquiries

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the  (a) total costs and  (b) legal fees have been to date of the (i) Robert Hamill, (ii) Billy Wright, (iii) Rosemary Nelson and (iv) Bloody Sunday inquiries; and what steps he has taken to control costs.

Peter Hain: The expenditure, which has been rounded, is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  000 
			   Total costs of inquiry expenditure thus far  Element of expenditure in respect of legal fees thus far 
			 Robert Hamill Inquiry 7,475 2,209 
			 Billy Wright Inquiry 3,922 1,521 
			 Rosemary Nelson Inquiry 8,134 1,853 
			 Bloody Sunday Inquiry(1) 174,360 93,900 
			 Totals 193,891 99,483 
			 (1 )Of this total cost 139.48 million falls to the NIO, the remaining 33.87 million falls to the MOD. 
		
	
	My predecessor my right hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy) said to the House on 1 April 2004,  Official Report, column 1757:
	I know that concern has been expressed in this House and elsewhere about the length and cost of some public inquiries. In particular, there are concerns about the cost of the Bloody Sunday inquiry129 million to date, with a predicted final cost of 155 million. I understand that unhappiness, but setting up that inquiry was the right thing to do, and I commend the work of Lord Saville and his team. Having been established, the inquiry must run its course if it is to be fair to individuals and if the truth is to emerge. We will, of course, take all reasonable steps to control costs in the inquiries that I have announced today, including capping legal costs where appropriate. We will ensure that the inquiries have the maximum powers, as well as aiming for better, quicker inquiries. Even so, these inquiries will inevitably mean the commitment of significant resources. The Government recognise people's desire to see public funds spent on delivering better public services and effective policing. I recognise public concern about further expenditure on inquiries into the past.
	Since the establishment of the Robert Hamill,Billy Wright and Rosemary Nelson inquiries, the Government have worked with the inquiries to put in place a number of measures to ensure that, while they have the resources necessary to fulfil their task, costs are kept to a reasonable level. The specific steps that have been taken are as follows:
	agreeing a management statement that includes a financial memorandum with the inquiries. The management statement sets out the broad framework under which any public funds are paid to the inquiries including the conditions under which public funds are paid and how the inquiry accounts for its expenditure. My officials hold regular formal meetings with the Robert Hamill, Billy Wright and Rosemary Nelson inquiries to discuss their financial forecasts under the terms of these documents;
	letting the inquiries make use of the Northern Ireland Office procurement division and have access to other procurement expertise in order to ensure that value for money is secured;
	setting maximum hourly fees levels for publicly funded counsel and solicitors;
	introducing a general 40 hour weekly cap on fees;
	ensuring representation by counsel is limited only to interested parties or key witnesses whose evidence is in dispute;
	making sure the scope of the legal work that may be undertaken at the public expense is circumscribed by the respective inquiry costs protocol and that all bills in respect of publicly funded legal assistance are subject to monthly scrutiny by the inquiry solicitor who is required to authorise disbursements in excess of 100.
	The chairmen of the Billy Wright inquiry and the Robert Hamill inquiry separately asked me to convert their statutory basis for their inquiries to the Inquiries Act 2005 under section 15 of that Act. One consequence of my decision to grant their request for conversion is that the framework for the award by the chairman of costs in relation to legal representation set out in section 40 of that Act applies, I know that both chairmen take seriously their responsibilities in this regard, and the provision in section 17(3) of the Act that:
	In making any decision as to the procedure or conduct of an inquiry, the chairman must act with fairness and with regard also to the need to avoid any unnecessary cost (whether to public funds or to witnesses or others).
	In respect of the Billy Wright inquiry I have exercised my power on 25 October 2006,  Official Report, column 89-91WS, to make a notice of determination under section 40(4) of the Act and notified the House by means of a written statement.
	I plan to make a notice of determination in respect of the Robert Hamill inquiry in due course.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many information technology projects within the responsibility of his Department, its agencies and their predecessors have been cancelled since 1997; what the total cost was of each project at cancellation; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: We are not aware of any information technology projects that have been cancelled since 1997.

Language Legislation

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the consultation paper on the Irish language agreed at St. Andrew's will be published.

Maria Eagle: The consultation paper on the proposed Irish language legislation will be launched on 13 December for 12 weeks consultation. Responses must be received by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure by Friday 2 March 2007.

Language Legislation

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to publish the Irish Language (Northern Ireland) Bill.

Maria Eagle: The consultation paper on proposed Irish language legislation was launched on 13 December 2006. The deadline for responses is Friday 2 March 2007.
	Our aim is to ensure that legislation can be taken forward quickly thereafter in line with the St. Andrew's Agreement.

Language Legislation

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what opportunities for prelegislative  (a) consultation and  (b) scrutiny will be provided in relation to the proposed legislation on language referred to in the St Andrews agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The consultation paper on proposed Irish language legislation was launched on 13 December 2006 for a 12 week consultation period.
	The consultation paper presents a number of approaches to language legislation for the public to consider and invites all interested parties to respond with views by 2 March 2007.

Language Legislation

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will begin the consultation process on new language legislation for Northern Ireland; and what the timetable will be for the consultation.

Maria Eagle: The consultation paper on the proposed Irish language legislation will be launched on 13 December for 12 weeks consultation. Responses must be received by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure by Friday 2 March 2007.

Organ Donation

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the level is of human organ donation in Northern Ireland; and what change there was in this level in  (a) numbers and  (b) percentage in each year since 2001.

Paul Goggins: The number of organ donors in Northern Ireland for the calendar years 2001 to 2005 and January 2006 to 13 December 2006, together with the percentage change year to year, is detailed in the table.
	
		
			   Number of organ donors  Percentage change from previous year 
			 2001 33  
			 2002 30 -9.1 
			 2003 26 -13.3 
			 2004 36 38.5 
			 2005 20 -44.4 
			 2006(1) 29 45 
			 (1 )2006 figures represent the period from 1 January 2006 to13 December 2006  Source:  Transplant Co-Ordinator, Belfast City Hospital

Pensioners

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners there are in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: At mid-year 2005, the official estimate of the Northern Ireland resident population of pensionable age was 279,600 people; 99,000 males aged 65 and above and 180,600 females aged 60 and above.

Planning

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many planning decisions are outstanding in the  (a) Magherafelt district council,  (b) Antrim borough council and  (c) Newtownabbey borough council area.

David Cairns: The number of planning applications outstanding in each of the requested areas is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  District/borough council  Outstanding applications( 1) 
			 Magherafelt 819 
			 Antrim 355 
			 Newtownabbey 318 
			 (1 )At 14 December 2006.

Prison Accommodation

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effect of the abolition of 50 per cent. remission for sentenced prisoners in Northern Ireland on the accommodation of convicted prisoners over the next 15 years.

Paul Goggins: On 7 December 2006, there were 1,452 prisoners held in custody in Northern Ireland. The Prison Service already has plans in place to address immediate accommodation requirements, including the provision of up to a further 240 places over the next18 months.
	Following the recent review of the sentencing framework, a number of measures are proposed including removal of the automatic 50 per cent. remission of sentences. The legislation to give effect to the full range of proposed measures is expected to be passed into law in late 2007. The expected increase resulting from public protection sentences will be offset to a degree by other proposals announced on5 December 2006, including a greater use of community sentences for low-risk offenders who do not constitute a danger to the public. The Government are still to finalise the full prison estate strategy.

Public Finance Contracts

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total liability to his Department would be in circumstances of immediate termination of all  (a) public/private partnerships and  (b) public finance initiative contracts.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office only has one commitment under PPP/PFI contractthe Causeway Programme.
	Causeway is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Fujitsu Services and the Northern Ireland Office to provide managed services related to the electronic sharing of information across the criminal justice organisations in Northern Ireland. The Programme is implementing a number of services in a number of phases.
	If there was an immediate termination of this PPP project, the NIO would be liable to financial penalties from Fujitsu of approximately 5,000,000. There would also be unquantified costs associated with the six Criminal Justice Organisations reversing the changes made to their computer systems as a result of their links with the Causeway Programme.

Reconviction Rates

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to achieve his Department's target of a reduction in reconviction rates; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Government are committed to reducing offending behaviour in Northern Ireland and have set the target of a 5 per cent. reduction in re-convictions (a proxy for re-offending) by 2008. A multi-agency Reconviction Monitoring Group and a Resettlement Multi-Agency Forum (established to oversee the roll-out of the supporting resettlement strategy) meet regularly to drive forward work in this area.
	Initiatives being progressed by statutory and voluntary agencies to reduce re-offending include a drink-driving scheme targeted at disqualified drivers that has been demonstrated to reduce re-offending by 75 per cent., and novel and innovative mentoring and offender support schemes in the community. These projects and others like them complement work being done by the Probation Board and the Northern Ireland Prison Service as part of the regional re-settlement strategy. The inter-agency collaborative work on monitoring and managing risks associated with sex offenders on release from prison (MASRAM) is also important in reducing re-offending and protecting the public.
	In addition Northern Ireland is represented on the national Inter Ministerial Group on Reducing Re-Offending and is setting up a local Inter Ministerial Group to further promote mutual and co-ordinated efforts to address offending behaviour within Northern Ireland.

Renewable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

Peter Hain: The latest figures contained in the Public Sector Energy Campaign report for 2004-05 show that 15 per cent. of the energy consumed by the NIO is from renewable sources.
	The NIO Estate includes a number of privately leased buildings where we have no control over energy supply. Where possible we are working to increase the level of energy from renewable sources, including the installation of biomass heating systems and solar panels at Hillsborough Castle.

Road Tax

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have applied for the new zero rate road tax for environmentally friendly cars in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: Since the introduction of the zero-rate of vehicle excise duty in March 2006 for vehicles emitting less than 100 grams of CO2 per kilometre travelled, two vehicles have applied for licences in this tax band in Northern Ireland.

Rural Areas

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what programmes his Department operates to make particular provision to rural areas; and what the cost of such programmes is expected to be in 2007-08.

David Cairns: The Government are committed to building a strong economy and fair society where there is opportunity and security for all. This commitment applies equally in rural and urban areas, regardless of the actual location of service points. The majority of departmental programmes benefit both rural and urban areas. However the cost of these programmes in rural areas alone could not be identified without disproportionate cost.
	Departments do have a number of programmes in place which address specific issues that have been identified in rural areas. Examples of these programmes and their estimated spend in 2007-08 are listed as follows:
	
		
			  Department/Agency /ND PB  Programme title  Estimated spend 2007-08 () 
			 Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2007-2013(1) 55 million 
			 DARD Fishing Villages Taskforce 3 million 
			 DARD Education and Development 16 million 
			 DARD EU Agricultural Processing and Marketing Grant Scheme 5.0 million 
			 DARD Marketing of Quality Agricultural Products Grant 0.5 million 
			 DARD/Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) Rural Support (a listening ear and sign posting service for farm families and rural communities) 60,000 
			 DARD Rural Development Programme (2001-06) (2)14.6 million 
			 DARD Conversion of former military bases for rural development purposes (2)3 million 
			 DARD Peace III Programme (2)0.7 million 
			 DARD Farm Nutrient Management Scheme 22 million 
			 Department for Regional Development (DRD) School Safety Zones 250,000 
			 DRD Rural Transport Fund 4.0 million 
			 Department of Education (DE) Youth Outreach Initiative 1.025 million 
			 Youth Council for Northern Ireland Young Farmers Clubs 60,000 
			 Youth Council for Northern Ireland Share (Residential Facility for young people in Enniskillen and surrounding rural areas) 50,000 
			 Youth Council for Northern Ireland Youth Action (Specific rural projects for young people) 10,000 
			 Youth Council for Northern Ireland Wheelworks (Mobile rural teaching facility for young people and other rural projects) 10,000 
			 (1) Programme not yet finalised or approved by the European Commission. (2) Dependent on approval by the Department of Finance and Personnel.

Rural Services

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to protect rural  (a) post offices and  (b) schools.

David Hanson: Responsibility for the Post Office is a reserved matter for the Department of Trade and Industry. However I and my ministerial colleagues and officials have participated fully in discussions over the future of the Post Office network to ensure that the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland were fully taken into account in DTI's considerations. The Department of Trade and Industry has now launched a consultation which includes proposals for new access criteria for the national Post Office network which will protect vulnerable consumers in deprived urban areas and rural and remote areas.
	Government recognise the important role that rural schools play both in children's education and in the cohesion of rural communities. It is important that communities have access to strong viable schools which provide an excellent education for the pupils, and have the accommodation, equipment and range of teaching expertise needed to deliver a modern curriculum. This message comes through clearly in the recently published report on the independent Strategic Review of Education.

School Building

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  when the Magherafelt Controlled Primary School new build is to commence; and what the completion date is;
	(2)  when the  (a) Rainey Endowed School,  (b) Magherafelt High School,  (c) Ballyclare Controlled Primary School and  (d) Straid Controlled Primary School new build is to commence; and what the completion date is in each case.

Maria Eagle: In regard to Magherafelt Primary School and Magherafelt High School, the North Eastern Education and Library Board have advised that work could start on site in September 2007 and December 2007 with estimated completion in early 2009 and end 2009 respectively. The board has stated, however, that due to a possible problem with the proposed site for Magherafelt P.S., the dates for this school may be subject to change.
	The Department of Education is currently examining the Outline Business Case for Rainey Endowed School and Ballymoney High School which are part of a PPP cluster. Subject to confirmation of the Business Case, it is anticipated that construction could commence in 2009 with completion in 2010.
	As Ballyclare PS and Straid PS have not received approval for capital funding it is not possible to indicate commencement dates for new builds.
	I would also advise that the Government have accepted the recommendation from the Strategic Review of Education that previously announced capital projects currently under way will be reviewed for their consistency with an area-based planning approach. The review will be undertaken quickly to avoid introducing unnecessary delays.

Single Farm Payment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many farmers in Northern Ireland have received their 2006 single farm payment.

David Cairns: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development published a payment profile on 21 November 2006 setting out its targets for payments under the 2006 single farm payment scheme. The payment timetable provided for 40 per cent. of payments to be received by 8 December 2006, 65 per cent. to be received by 15 December 2006, 70-75 per cent. to be received by 31 December 2006 and 75-80 per cent. to be received by 31 January 2007. The remaining claims will be paid on an ongoing basis as queries and validation checks on individual claims are reconciled.
	Performance to date against the payment targets is as follows:
	
		
			  Processed for receipt by:  Percentage 
			 8 December 2006 42.8 
			 15 December 2006 65.8 
			 23 December 2006 71 
		
	
	Processing is ongoing to complete as many payments as possible for receipt by 31 December 2006.

Social Fund

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) budgeting loans and  (b) crisis loans from the Social Fund were awarded in each of the 26 district council areas in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested as Budgeting Loans and Crisis Loans cannot be broken down by District Council. The tables show:
	 (a) the number of Budgeting Loans from the Social Fund that were awarded in each of the 6 Social Security districts in each of the last three years and
	 (b) the number of crisis loans from the Social Fund that were awarded in each of the 26 district council areas in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  Table1 
			   Budgeting loans awarded 
			  District  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 North 12,807 12,577 13,777 
			 South 11,759 11,965 13,273 
			 East Down 12,463 11,962 12,474 
			 West 17,726 18,068 19,067 
			 Belfast North and East Antrim 15,809 15,154 15,657 
			 Belfast West and Lisburn 18,112 17,519 17,834 
			 Total 88,676 87,245 92,082 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   Crisis loans awarded 
			 2003-04 85,010 
			 2004-05 87,981 
			 2005-06 83,688

Street Works (Amendment) Order

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what account was taken of  (a) the implementation of the Traffic Management Act in Scotland and  (b) the appointment of a Scottish Road Works Commissioner in drafting the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order;
	(2)  what consultations he has undertaken with political parties in Northern Ireland on the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order;
	(3)  whether the proposals for a draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order have been subject to a targeting social need assessment;
	(4)  whether the proposals for a draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order have been reviewed by the Better Regulation Unit of the Department of Enterprise.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 19 December 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland five parliamentary questions:
	(i) what account was taken of the implementation of (a) the Traffic Management Act in Scotland and (b) the implementation of a Scottish Road Works Commissioner, in drafting the Draft Street Works (Amendment) Northern Ireland) Order (110306);
	(ii) what consultations he has undertaken with political parties in Northern Ireland on the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order (110307);
	(iii) if he will postpone the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order until the Northern Ireland Assembly is in a position to consider fully the issue; and if he will make a statement(110308);
	(iv) whether the proposals for a draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order have been subject to a targeting social need assessment (110378); and
	(v) whether the proposals for a draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order have been reviewed by the Better Regulation Unit of the Department of Enterprise (112742)
	I understand Minister Cairns will be responding directly to you on PQ Reference 110308. I have been asked to reply to the other four PQs as the issues raised fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	 Traffic Management Act and Scottish Road Works Commissioner
	The Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA) was introduced in England and Wales to update the existing legislation controlling street workslargely the works of utilitiesin Great Britain (the New Road and Street Works Act 1991, or NRSW). The Scottish Executive, however, decided to introduce different arrangements for controlling street works in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005.
	One of the key differences between the approaches taken in Scotland, and in England and Wales, is in relation to permit schemes. These, as introduced by the TMA, would require utilities to obtain permits for their works and would enable highway authorities to attach conditions to the permits so as to minimise congestion. The Scottish legislation makes no arrangements for permit schemes. However, the Minister is conscious of the frustration and disruption experienced by road users every day, which result from delays caused by utility street works. The decision was taken, therefore, that the power to operate a permit scheme is necessary, in order to facilitate better coordination and, thereby, minimise disruption caused to road users.
	Another key difference is in relation to traffic managers. Whereas the TMA makes provision for traffic managers to be appointed by highway authorities, who would be responsible for keeping traffic flowing on the road network, the Transport (Scotland) Act creates the office of the Scottish Roads Works Commissioner, responsible for overseeing works in roads in Scotland. The Department for Regional Development already has a duty to coordinate all works in roads in Northern Ireland and, in order to keep the number of interfaces to a minimum, we have developed a role for certain officials in Roads Service Traffic Sections across Northern Ireland, which is similar to the function of Traffic Managers created under the TMA.
	The Minister decided that, rather than follow the Scottish approach, the measures contained in the TMA were appropriate for introduction in Northern Ireland. The measures in the TMA may be tailored to suit the needs identified by a particular highway authority, whether in an urban or rural environment. The same measures could be adapted for use in Northern Ireland and the draft Order has been prepared accordingly.
	 Consultation with Political Parties
	The Department undertook consultation on three occasions in relation to the street works proposals. Between June and September 2005, a public consultation took place on the Department's street works policy proposals and, following careful consideration of all responses received, the then Minister, Shaun Woodward, decided that he would proceed to have the draft Order prepared.
	The need to introduce legislation for an additional power to delegate some departmental street works functions to private sector road operators was subsequently identified. As a result, between February and April 2006, a consultation was carried out with interested parties on the supplementary proposal.
	Following the preparation of the proposal for a draft Order, the Department carried out public consultation on the draft regulation between June and September 2006. The Minister, David Cairns, having considered all responses to the consultation, concluded that no amendments were required and, with the agreement of the Secretary of State, the draft Order was laid at Westminster on 4 December 2006.
	In terms of your specific query about consultation with political parties, the public consultations on the policy proposals and on the draft legislation were carried out in accordance with guidance issued by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. This included Northern Ireland parties and Northern Ireland MPs, MEPs, MLSs and members of the House of Lords. Indeed, during public consultation on the proposal for the draft Order, a very positive response was received from Councillor Margaret Ritchie your party's regional development spokesperson.
	For all consultations that were carried out, the Department considered the responses received and issued a consultation report to respondents. The reports were also published on the Roads Service website, as were the comments submitted in response to the consultations. This material can be viewed at http://roadsni.gov.uk/consultation/consultation.htm
	 Targeting Social Need
	The draft Order is simply a framework of enabling legislation, which would allow the detailed arrangements to be developed in subordinate legislation. Consequently, the draft Order in itself has no implications on the new targeting social needs policy, although such implications will be considered as part of the procedure for preparing the regulations in due course.
	 Better Regulation Unit of the Department of Enterprise
	You also asked whether the proposals had been reviewed by the Better Regulation Unit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, the Better Regulation Unit, like the Better Regulation Commission in Great Britain, considers only full regulatory impact assessments. In the case of the street works proposals, only a partial regulatory impact assessment has been carried out, based on the information that was available when we published the consultation document on the policy proposals for amending street works legislation in June 2005.
	We do not yet have sufficient information on the detailed proposals to carry out full regulatory impact assessments However, we will do so when details become available, as the street works regime in England and Wales in developed. Full regulatory impact assessments will also be carried out in relation to each set of regulations that will be made under the powers being introduced in the draft Order.

Street Works (Amendment) Order

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will postpone the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order until the Northern Ireland Assembly is in a position to consider the issue fully; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: As you are aware, the draft Order was laid at Westminster on 4 December 2006. No objections have been raised by respondents, other than by the utility companies, to any of the consultations the Department has carried out.
	A balance must be struck between the need to minimise congestion and delay on our roads, and introducing additional controls on utilities. Ministers are satisfied that the draft Order strikes the balance correctly and is necessary to address the disruption on the roads in Northern Ireland. For these reasons, it is intended that the draft Order should proceed as planned through the parliamentary stages. I remain hopeful that the draft Order will be made by the Privy Council in February 2007.

Tennis

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will announce funding for a Centre of Excellence for Tennis in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) is responsible for the development of sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of public funding to individual sports. The SCNI is managing the competition for the provision of the High Performance Facilities for Olympic Sports in Northern Ireland. Tennis is one of the sports included in this competition which will be announced early in 2007.

Transport Services

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public funds have been offered to ensure the restoration of the Ballycastle-Campbeltown ferry during 2007-08.

Maria Eagle: Reflecting on the current Comprehensive Spending Review process and the public expenditure priorities which lie ahead, the overall assessment is that no financial support can be offered to attract an operator for the ferry service between Ballycastle and Campbeltown.

Waste Management

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of progress towards meeting the waste management strategy in each of the 26 district and borough councils.

David Cairns: The strategy recognises the need for effective co-ordination to ensure the delivery of its aims and targets, and the Department is progressing the establishment of a Strategic Waste Board and a Programme Delivery Support Unit to help councils with the procurement of major waste infrastructure and to oversee and monitor delivery.
	Waste management plans, prepared by the three district council Waste Management Groups, have now been determined. These plans will, among other things, identify the new infrastructure requirements.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departmental Equipment

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of the Cabinet Office's  (a) computers and  (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in that period.

Hilary Armstrong: Figures covering the numbers of computers and laptops stolen in my Department in the last nine years and their total value, cannot be provided in full without incurring disproportionate cost. However I can provide figures for the period 2000 to 2005. The information is shown in the table.
	
		
			   Computers  Laptops 
			 2000 0 0 
			 2001 0 1 
			 2002 0 0 
			 2003 0 3 
			 2004 0 4 
			 2005 0 1 
		
	
	The estimated total value of stolen computers and laptops in the period 2000 to 2005 was 9,000.

E-government

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 888W, on e-government, which government services are e-enabled and available to the public electronically.

Patrick McFadden: A list of the 503 government services which have been e-enabled and are available to the public electronically has been placed in the Library for the reference of Members. This information is currently subject to audit.

Ministerial Residences

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 890W, on ministerial residences, which contractors were commissioned to refurbish the flat above 10 Downing street since31 March 2006.

Hilary Armstrong: Cabinet Office central London buildings, of which the Downing street complex forms an integral part, are covered by the Cabinet Office's Total Facilities Management Contract with Ecovert FM.

National School of Government

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many foreign nationals have attended the National School of Government, broken down by country; what the cost to public funds was; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The National School of Government does not record the nationality of participants attending its programmes. The National School operates on a cost recovery basis and events are priced to recover their costs accordingly.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total amount was of additional costs listed in Regulatory Impact Assessments of Government legislation in the 2005-06 parliamentary session.

Patrick McFadden: The information requested is not held centrally.
	Information on the costs of regulations introduced is available in Final Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) which are published by departments on their internet sites. A list of most recent RIAs published between July 2005 and June 2006 can be found in Command Papers CM6987 and CM6988 published on 14 December.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on retirement age, what her Department's policy is on the application of the national default retirement age to staff below the Senior Civil Service.

Patrick McFadden: The Cabinet Office application of the national default retirement age to staff below the Senior Civil Service complies in full with the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations that came into force on 1 October 2006. We have introduced a process that gives all employees at least six but no more than 12 months notice of retirement on their 65(th )birthday. Employees are also advised about their right to request to remain beyond the age of 65 and the formal process for considering such requests. Requests to remain are considered against clearly defined criteria that meet business needs as well as ensuring fair and equal treatment for all employees.

Rod Aldridge

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what contribution Rod Aldridge made to  (a) the Office of Third Sector's Action Plan and  (b) the Future Role of the Third Sector in Social and Economic Regeneration Interim Report published on6 December.

Edward Miliband: In developing Partnership in Public Services: An action plan for third sector involvement the Office of the Third Sector spoke to a wide number of stakeholders over a 15-month period. Rod Aldridge made no direct contribution to the work.
	The first phase of the review of the future role of the third sector in economic and social regeneration involved the largest ever consultation with the third sector. The Interim Report details the messages that were heard during this consultation and the areas that will be further explored in the next phase of the review. Over 250 written responses were submitted to the review, one of the written responses was from the youth volunteering charity v, chaired by Rod Aldridge.

Social Enterprise Start-ups

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what sources of funding are available to assist social enterprise start-ups.

Edward Miliband: On the 16 November the Government published their Social Enterprise Action Plan which set out the current state of the finance market for social enterprises, committed to ways of improving access to finance and announced that the Government would make up to 10 million available for investment in Social Enterprise.
	Current sources of financial support for social enterprise start-ups include the Futurebuilders Fund, the Adventure Capital Fund, Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs), the Big Lottery Fund and funds allocated by UnLtd.
	Social enterprises can also benefit from support and finance available to the wider business community, such as the Small Firms Guarantee Scheme, on the same basis as other types of business.
	In different areas of the country, there are also additional regional or local funds available. The local Business Link would be the best place to advise on available local support.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Building Schools for the Future

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 237W, on Building Schools for the Future, 
	(1)  how many proposals submitted under the Building Schools for the Future programme have been returned to local authorities for further clarification; which local authorities were involved; and what clarification was requested in each case;
	(2)  what proportion of proposals submitted under Building Schools for the Future returned to local authorities for further clarification  (a) included and  (b) did not include an academy in their proposals.

Jim Knight: The following list shows the 39 local authorities in waves one to three of Building Schools for the Future, 35 of which either have an academy open or in the pipeline. All proposals submitted by these local authorities have at some point, and most at several points, been returned for further clarifications, regardless of whether the local authority included or did not include an academy within its proposals.
	We are unable to provide details of the specific clarifications requested from each local authority as compiling the information would breach the disproportionate costs threshold.
	 Wave 1
	Bristol(1)
	Bradford(1)
	Gateshead
	Greenwich(1)
	Knowsley
	Lancashire(1)
	Leeds(1)
	Leicester(1)
	Lewisham (also W3)(1)
	Manchester(1)
	Newcastle Upon Tyne(1)
	Sheffield(1)
	Solihull(1)
	South Tyneside
	Southwark (also W3)(1)
	Stoke-on-Trent(1)
	Sunderland(1)
	Waltham Forest(1)
	 Wave 2
	Birmingham(1)
	Hackney(1)
	Haringey(1)
	Islington(1)
	Kingston Upon Hull(1)
	Lambeth(1)
	Liverpool(1)
	Middlesbrough(1)
	Newham(1)
	Nottingham City(1)
	Tower Hamlets
	 Wave 3
	Barnsley(1)
	Derbyshire(1)
	Durham(1)
	Kent(1)
	Luton(1)
	North Lincolnshire(1)
	Salford(1)
	Sandwell(1)
	Tameside(1)
	Westminster(1)
	(1 )Indicates that the local authority either has an academy open or one in the pipeline.

Child Care

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards increasing the number of people working in childcare since 2002-03.

Beverley Hughes: The 2005 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey shows there are 318,200 paid workers in the childcare workforce (including childminders). This figure is not directly comparable with the figure of 279,100 from the 2002-03 Childcare and Early Years Workforce Survey. This is because the basis for collecting information on the number of childminders and those working in out-of-school provision has changed.
	We are confident that childcare employers continue to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of good quality staff to support the sector's expansion.

City Academies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if his Department will take steps to ensure that the funding agreements for future city academies can be amended to bring them into line with updates to his Department's model funding agreement; and what recourse would be available to him if a sponsor refused to agree to such amendments.

Jim Knight: The Funding Agreement between an Academy Trust and the Secretary of State is a contract which sets out the terms upon which the Academy is funded and the framework within which it must operate. Like any contract it can only be amended with the agreement and signature of both parties, thereby offering protection to both the Academy and the Secretary of State in that the contents cannot be changed without both parties' knowledge or consent.
	Both the Department and Academy Trusts may decide from time to time that the Funding Agreement needs updating. Agreement to these changes will be reached through a process of negotiation and the Funding Agreement model itself states:
	The Secretary of State and the Academy Trust recognise the difficulties in catering in this Agreement for all the circumstances which may arise in relation to the Academy and undertake in good faith to conduct such consultations as may from time to time be desirable in order to promote the interests of the Academy throughout the period of this Agreement.

City Academies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills why the legislative provisions relating to  (a) the composition and operation of the governing body under Chapter 1 of Part 3 of the Education Act 2002,  (b) Freedom of Information and the general provision of information to parents and  (c) human rights applying to maintained schools do not apply in the same way to city academies.

Jim Knight: Academies are independent schools and the statutory provisions that provided for their establishment were enacted by Parliament with the intention that the majority of requirements would be contained within a contract: the Funding Agreement. In many respects the model Funding Agreement includes provisions equivalent to those in maintained school legislation.
	The legislative provisions on the composition and operation of governing bodies allow for the Secretary of State to prescribe regulations in this regard, and these regulations are broadly enforced through equivalent provisions in the memorandum and articles of association of the Academy Trust (the company limited by guarantee which conducts the school).
	The Department takes the view that Academies are public authorities in the context of the Human Rights Act 1998 and, as such, the provisions of this Act apply as they do to schools maintained by local authorities.
	Although the Freedom of Information Act 2000 does not currently apply to Academies, the first of which opened in 2002, Academies are required to provide parents with a wide range of information, including that set out in Schedule 3 to the Education (School Information) (England) Regulations 2002(SI 2002/2897).

Credit Transfers

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on progress on the development of credit transfer and accreditation programmes in higher education.

Bill Rammell: On 14 December, Universities UK published proposals for national arrangements for the use of academic credit in higher education in England. The proposals derive from extensive consultation with the higher education sector and respond to a need for a more systematic approach to credit nationally that the Government highlighted in its 2003 White Paper The future of higher education. This is welcome progress and establishes a programme that will lead to English institutions voluntarily credit-rating their provision by 2009/10 and thereafter including the credit value in a published description of each of the programmes they offer. A more consistent, transparent approach to the use of credit will benefit learners by helping to establish better progression routes into and through higher education, especially as those routes become more varied and adaptable. The proposals also take account of developments in credit arrangements across Europe.

Domestic Visits: Leicester

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Ministers in his Department have visited Leicester in the last year; and where they visited in Leicester.

Parmjit Dhanda: In the last year, the following Ministers have visited the following places in Leicester:
	
		
			  Venue  Date 
			  Alan Johnson  
			 Leicester University 24 July 2006 
			   
			  Beverley Hughes  
			 New College Leicester 17 July 2006 
			   
			  Phil Hope  
			 Arnhem House, Learn Direct Call Centre 5 January 2006 
			 Leicester College, Wigston 20 September 2006 
			 Leicester Jobcentre Plus 6 November 2006 
			   
			  Parmjit Dhanda  
			 Sir Jonathan North Community College 7 December 2006 
			 New College Leicester 7 December 2006 
		
	
	All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Examination Results

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will rank English local education authorities by  (a) average performance at Key Stage 3 and  (b) the percentage of pupils gaining five grades A*-C at GCSE.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Extended Schools: Sunderland

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding was allocated to Sunderland city council local education authority to support the development of extended schools  (a) up to March 2006 and  (b) for 2006 to 2008.

Beverley Hughes: A total of 1,311,802 funding was allocated to Sunderland city council in the period up to March 2006. A total of 2,244,853 funding has been allocated to Sunderland city council for the period 2006 to 2008 to support the delivery of extended school services.

Fingerprinting

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools fingerprint children for administrative purposes, broken down by education authority; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: My Department keeps no records of which schools have or have not fingerprinted school pupils.

Fingerprinting

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice his Department gives to schools on consultation of parents on fingerprinting children at school for administrative purposes.

Jim Knight: Schools and local authorities are responsible for deciding their own policies relating to information about children which they wish to hold and use for administrative purposes, subject to the relevant legislation on Data Protection and Freedom of Information. My Department has published guidance for schools on implementing the legislation. We are currently considering what further guidance might be necessary on the collection and use of biometric data.

Fingerprinting

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of school children who are fingerprinted by schools for administrative purposes.

Jim Knight: The Department keeps no records of the number of school children who have been fingerprinted by schools for administrative purposes.

Foreign Languages

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students opted to study a foreign language at  (a) A level and  (b) degree level in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: Information is not collected on the subjects studied in schools and colleges. However, it is possible to provide the numbers of people entered for examinations in modern foreign languages.
	The following table shows the number of 16 to 18-year-old candidates entered for at least one GCE A level in a modern foreign language in all English schools and FE colleges for each academic year.
	
		
			   Candidates 
			 2001-02 24,502 
			 2002-03 23,829 
			 2003-04 23,521 
			 2004-05 23,185 
			 2005-06 24,315 
			  Notes: 1. The figure for 2006 is provisional and subject to change. 2. Age is at start of academic year (i.e. 31 August). 
		
	
	The latest available information since 2002-03, covering English domiciles entering foreign language first degree courses, is given in the following table. Figures for earlier years are not comparable due to a change in the methodology of coding subject of study. Data for 2005-06 will be available in mid-January 2007.
	
		
			  English domiciled entrants to foreign language( 1)  first degree courses at UK HE institutions (excluding the Open University( 2) ), 2002-03 to 2004-05 
			  Academic year  Entrants aged 18 or younger  Entrants aged 19 or over 
			 2002-03 3,335 2,935 
			 2003-04 3,205 2,735 
			 2004-05 3,300 2,590 
			 (1) Students are not counted on a headcount basis but instead are apportioned between each of their main subjects of study. The figures in the table count the proportions of students where a part or all of their qualification is a foreign language. (2) Figures exclude the Open University as they have not been recorded consistently over the time period. In 2003-04 there were 325 entrants to languages at the OU and in 2004-05 there were 455. Prior to this, the majority of first degree students at the Open University were classified as studying for combined courses.  Note: Figures are on a standard registration population basis and are rounded to the nearest 5.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Foundation Degrees

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students are studying for foundation degrees; and at which institutions.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is for 2005-06 and is taken from the Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey (HESES) and the Higher Education in Further Education: Students Survey (HEIFES) which are carried out annually by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Figures are given in the table.
	
		
			  Students on foundation degree courses: 2005-06 
			  Institution  Enrolments 
			  HE institutions  
			  FE institutions  
			 The Open University 1,700 
			 Bishop Grosseteste College 120 
			 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College 350 
			 University of Chester 405 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University 710 
			 York St John University College 280 
			 Edge Hill University 710 
			 Harper Adams University College 295 
			 The University of Winchester 275 
			 Liverpool Hope University 275 
			 University of the Arts, London 1,885 
			 University of Luton 880 
			 The University of Northampton 295 
			 Newman College of Higher Education 290 
			 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication 395 
			 Roehampton University 105 
			 Rose Bruford College 5 
			 Southampton Solent University 40 
			 St Martin's College 190 
			 St Mary's College 120 
			 The University of Worcester 310 
			 Anglia Ruskin University 870 
			 Bath Spa University 370 
			 The University of Bolton 600 
			 Bournemouth University 1,235 
			 The University of Brighton 825 
			 University of Central England in Birmingham 380 
			 The University of Central Lancashire 1,875 
			 University of Gloucestershire 105 
			 Coventry University 65 
			 University of Derby 690 
			 The University of East London 105 
			 The University of Greenwich 480 
			 University of Hertfordshire 865 
			 The University of Huddersfield 605 
			 The University of Lincoln 5 
			 Kingston University 970 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 695 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 145 
			 The Manchester Metropolitan University 415 
			 Middlesex University 310 
			 De Montfort University 475 
			 The University of Northumbria at Newcastle 285 
			 The Nottingham Trent University 440 
			 Oxford Brookes University 260 
			 The University of Plymouth 3,865 
			 The University of Portsmouth 650 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 535 
			 London South Bank University 420 
			 Staffordshire University 710 
			 The University of Sunderland 750 
			 The University of Teesside 825 
			 Thames Valley University 430 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 350 
			 The University of Chichester 110 
			 The University of Westminster 115 
			 Wimbledon School of Art 10 
			 The University of Wolverhampton 315 
			 Aston University 65 
			 The University of Bath 310 
			 The University of Birmingham 580 
			 The University of Bradford 200 
			 City University 150 
			 The University of East Anglia 40 
			 The University of Essex 190 
			 The University of Hull 190 
			 The University of Kent 200 
			 The University of Lancaster 45 
			 The University of Leeds 115 
			 The University of Leicester 330 
			 Birkbeck College 325 
			 Institute of Education 30 
			 Queen Mary and Westfield College 50 
			 The Royal Veterinary College 35 
			 St George's Hospital Medical School 65 
			 The University of Reading 65 
			 The University of Salford 305 
			 The University of Southampton 245 
			 The University of Sussex 30 
			 The University of Warwick 95 
			 The Queen's University of Belfast 40 
			 University of Ulster 345 
			 Writtle College 250 
			 Norwich School of Art and Design 145 
			 Cumbria Institute of the Arts 5 
			 Royal Agricultural College 10 
			 The Arts Institute at Bournemouth 235 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama 170 
			 Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies 850 
			 London Metropolitan University 470 
			 The University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone 130 
			 Leeds College of Music 45 
			   
			 Chesterfield College 75 
			 Otley College of Agriculture and Horticulture 45 
			 Bishop Burton College 355 
			 Leicester College 55 
			 Westminster Kingsway College 220 
			 Croydon College 115 
			 St. Helens College 345 
			 Askham Bryan College 110 
			 The Solihull College 10 
			 Peterborough Regional College 80 
			 Warwickshire College, Royal Leamington Spa, Rugby and Moreton Morrell 160 
			 Carlisle College 15 
			 Lakes College - West Cumbria 45 
			 Plymouth College of Art and Design 5 
			 Farnborough College of Technology 470 
			 Sparsholt College, Hampshire 155 
			 North East Worcestershire College 85 
			 Worcester College of Technology 80 
			 Hull College 415 
			 North Lindsey College 105 
			 Blackburn College 285 
			 Accrington and Rossendale College 15 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College 20 
			 Hopwood Hall College 55 
			 Stockport College of Further and Higher Education 30 
			 Halton College 25 
			 Liverpool Community College 70 
			 New College, Nottingham 85 
			 The Sheffield College 185 
			 Doncaster College 45 
			 Suffolk College 380 
			 Newcastle College 1,445 
			 South Tyneside College 30 
			 Dewsbury College 45 
			 Huddersfield Technical College 5 
			 Northumberland College 60 
			 York College 60 
			 The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education 325 
			 Stamford College 10 
			 Uxbridge College 10 
			 Wigan and Leigh College 25 
			 West Nottinghamshire College 130 
			 Bradford College 155 
			 Macclesfield College 230 
			 Ruskin College 40 
			 City College, Manchester 40 
			 Gateshead College 90 
			 Exeter College 30 
			 Wirral Metropolitan College 15 
			 Rotherham College of Arts and Technology 15 
			 Park Lane College 295 
			 Northbrook College, Sussex 220 
			 North East Surrey College of Technology 80 
			 Newham College of Further Education 20 
			 Joseph Priestley College 5 
			 Havering College of Further and Higher Education 115 
			 Blackpool and The Fylde College 335 
			 Leeds College of Art and Design 30 
			 Herefordshire College of Art and Design 115 
			 Cleveland College of Art and Design 85 
			 New College, Durham 260 
			 Harrow College 10 
			 The College of North West London 15 
			 Swindon College 25 
			 Loughborough College 275 
			 Wiltshire College 20 
			 Highbury College, Portsmouth 20 
			 Lincoln College 50 
			 Manchester College of Arts and Technology 75 
			 City College, Birmingham 10 
			 Tyne Metropolitan College 45 
			 Central Sussex College 25 
			 Total 47,165 
			  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  HEFCE's Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey (HESES) and Higher Education in Further Education: Students Survey (HEIFES)

Foundation Degrees

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which organisations were consulted prior to the publication of the Further Education and Training Bill on the granting to further education institutions of the power to award foundation degrees.

Bill Rammell: The proposal in Clause 19 of the Further Education and Training Bill emerged after informal discussions with a number of interested parties in the further and higher education sectors, following a recommendation by Andrew Foster in his report that the issue of foundation degree-awarding powers for some further education colleges should be looked at. The proposal has also taken into account the challenges set by Lord Leitch in his recent report about the need to expand our higher-level skills base. Since the publication of the Bill, we have written to a wide range of stakeholders and interested bodies to seek their views. We have made clear our commitment to working with partners in both the further and higher education sectors to make the proposals function effectively. We have already had informal feedback welcoming the provision in the Bill.

Foundation Degrees

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what consultations he has undertaken on the provisions in the Further Education Training Bill [HL] that will allow further education colleges to offer foundation degree courses.

Bill Rammell: I should make it clear that further education colleges already offer foundation degree courses; indeed 79 per cent. of all such programmes are currently delivered through the further education sector. The Department has written to a wide range of stakeholders and interested bodies to seek their views on the proposals contained in Clause 19. We have made clear our commitment to continue working with partners in both the further and higher education sectors to make the proposals function effectively.

Foundation Degrees

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the compatibility of extension of taught foundation degree-awarding powers to further education colleges with UK participation in the Bologne Process.

Bill Rammell: The Bergen Communiqu of 2005 accepted the principle of Foundation Degrees within national systems by adopting an overarching framework for qualifications in the European Higher Education Area comprising three cycles. This includes, within national contexts, the possibility of short-cycle or intermediate HE qualifications (such as the Foundation Degree).
	I should make it clear that allowing further education institutions to apply for the power to award Foundation Degrees will in no way alter or undermine the status of the Foundation Degree as a higher education qualification. Indeed, over three quarters of all current Foundation Degree programmes are delivered through the FE sector. Any further education institution applying for the power to award Foundation Degrees will be subject to rigorous quality assurance assessments which will be of the same standard as those already in place for institutions seeking degree- awarding powers. There is no question that the extension of Foundation Degree-awarding powers to further education institutions will be allowed to have any negative impact on the status of that qualification, whether in the domestic or international context.

Free School Meals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of students attending academies in January were entitled to free school meals.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Academies: School meal arrangements, January 2006, England 
			   Number and Percentage 
			 Number on roll(1) 25,310 
			 Number of pupils who took a free school meal(2) 6,930 
			 Percentage of pupils who took a free school meal 27.4 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 8.480 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 33.5 
			 (1 )Includes dually registered and boarding pupils. (2 )Number of pupils who took a free school meal on the day of the census in January.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Schools Census

Further and Higher Education Act

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times  (a) he and  (b) his predecessors used powers under section 57 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Department's records indicate that the powers under section 57 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 have never been used except where, following the resignation of the governing body, the Secretary of State has been required to appoint new governors. We consider that the existence of these powers does contribute to better outcomes in resolving cases where institutions get into difficulties.
	We expect these powers to be used only in exceptional circumstanceswhere all other options have failed. We believe that having the power available and the possibility of it being exercised, has been the trigger in some cases for governing bodies to act themselves.

GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of each grade was awarded at GCSE in each year since 1996.

Jim Knight: The information requested is summarised in the table as follows.
	
		
			  GCSE  all subjects( ) : number  and percentage( ) of entrants achieving grades 
			   A*  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  U( 1)  X( 2) 
			  2006   
			 Number 316,503 646,565 923,559 1,234,942 840,744 516,929 286,467 132,438 94,138 17,608 
			 Percentage 6.3 12.9 18.4 24.7 16.8 10.3 5.7 2.6 1.9 0.4 
			
			  2005   
			 Number 294,703 626,107 900,288 1,220,919 843,563 533,341 305,079 143,033 98,669 21,474 
			 Percentage 5.9 12.6 18.1 24.5 16.9 10.7 6.1 2.9 2.0 0.4 
			
			  2004   
			 Number 282,226 608,509 888,288 1,237,804 873,356 588,298 350,341 170,404 113,057 24,913 
			 Percentage 5.5 11.8 17.3 24.1 17.0 11.5 6.8 3.3 2.2 0.5 
			
			  2003   
			 Number 251,486 586,097 869,967 1,186,711 875,890 594,914 353,836 172,140 111,532 27,355 
			 Percentage 5.0 11.7 17.3 23.6 17.4 11.8 7.0 3.4 2.2 0.5 
			
			  2002   
			 Number 246,947 563,370 860,921 1,175,013 879,169 602,071 345,627 162,225 94,988 27,291 
			 Percentage 5.0 11.4 17.4 23.7 17.7 12.1 7.0 3.3 1.9 0.6 
			
			  2001   
			 Number 238,988 551,560 833,175 1,163,977 887,527 609,774 364,055 171,927 91,313 24,087 
			 Percentage 4.8 11.2 16.9 23.6 18.0 12.4 7.4 3.5 1.8 0.5 
			
			  2000   
			 Number 216,808 528,390 805,075 1,098,981 858,758 604,676 358,842 164,015 86,092 20,685 
			 Percentage 4.6 11.1 17.0 23.2 18.1 12.8 7.6 3.5 1.8 0.4 
			
			  1999   
			 Number 205,440 510,603 793,074 1,083,474 856,996 611,291 372,877 170,902 86,452 24,547 
			 Percentage 4.4 10.8 16.8 23.0 18.2 13.0 7.9 3.6 1.8 0.5 
			
			  1998   
			 Number 187,473 487,413 750,314 1,057,375 840,268 621,783 374,572 177,352 97,817 27,301 
			 Percentage 4.1 10.5 16.2 22.9 18.2 13.5 8.1 3.8 2.1 0.6 
			
			  1977   
			 Number 168,334 484,323 830,529 998,165 847,720 629,844 409,378 176,771 62,274 110,177 
			 Percentage 3.6 10.3 17.6 21.2 18.0 13.4 8.7 3.7 1.3 2.3 
			
			  1996   
			 Number 159,766 481,618 835,500 1,007,483 847,985 638,925 423,806 186,757 62,001 114,650 
			 Percentage 3.4 10.1 17.6 21.2 17.8 13.4 8.9 3.9 1.3 2.4 
			 (1 )Refers to pupils who are ungraded or unclassified. (2 )Refers to pupils who were absent, or results pending

GCSEs

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will identify the proportion of pupils achieving five A*-C GCSE grades in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local education authority.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalent results for 15-year-olds in England: 1997-2006 
			   Percentage achieving 5 or more A*-C grades 
			  Local authority  1997  19981  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006( 1) 
			 Hartlepool 29.1 34.6 38.8 35.7 40.4 42.0 46.0 48.6 51.8 57.1 
			 Middlesbrough 28.5 27.5 31.0 34.6 35.0 35.8 38.8 40.8 45.2 48.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 38.4 38.8 44.6 45.6 43.4 48.6 47.0 49.0 48.2 50.0 
			 Stockton on Tees 39.1 40.0 41.3 43.7 44.8 46.1 47.1 45.8 54.8 54.8 
			 Darlington 37.5 37.1 42.9 45.0 47.2 48.7 51.0 49.0 56.7 57.4 
			 Durham 36.3 35.7 38.2 40.4 40.9 41.1 44.6 46.7 51.3 56.0 
			 Northumberland 43.2 45.1 46.3 49.7 48.8 51.4 54.0 56.2 58.8 61.6 
			 Gateshead 39.2 39.6 40.8 45.0 49.4 51.9 59.8 62.2 65.3 69.4 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 31.6 31.0 33.6 35.0 36.8 38.0 40.0 45.6 52.1 55.0 
			 North Tyneside 42.7 44.5 43.4 45.2 46.6 48.0 48.2 52.5 54.2 61.7 
			 South Tyneside 35.7 36.9 39.9 39.3 39.1 42.2 43.5 45.1 51.6 55.0 
			 Sunderland 34.4 32.3 34.6 38.4 39.2 41.6 44.1 44.2 51.5 54.0 
			
			  North West   
			 Former Cheshire 48.5  
			 Halton  33.8 37.3 37.7 39.9 42.7 44.2 43.9 49.1 52.2 
			 Warrington  48.4 49.7 50.5 50.3 51.9 56.4 58.6 61.2 65.9 
			 Cheshire  53.0 54.5 57.0 55.8 58.2 58.9 60.0 60.0 61.5 
			 Cumbria 43.5 43.9 47.6 50.6 50.8 52.7 53.0 55.3 56.8 57.5 
			 Bolton 40.0 40.3 43.2 41.3 45.4 46.7 45.9 45.9 49.3 50.1 
			 Bury 47.8 47.4 53.5 53.0 54.3 56.3 53.0 54.1 57.7 58.7 
			 Manchester 26.3 28.7 30.2 30.2 31.0 33.3 39.6 39.5 43.7 46.7 
			 Oldham 35.8 36.9 39.9 42.4 41.5 42.9 44.6 45.4 51.8 54.1 
			 Rochdale 35.5 36.1 38.5 37.9 40.4 40.0 41.3 46.7 49.1 49.3 
			 Salford 30.7 33.3 34.1 35.5 34.3 35.9 36.8 38.3 45.4 50.3 
			 Stockport 50.2 50.2 50.1 51.7 54.2 52.4 53.3 53.0 54.4 58.3 
			 Tameside 37.7 38.4 40.5 42.1 42.0 43.1 46.2 44.7 51.7 49.5 
			 Trafford 51.6 54.3 53.7 56.4 57.8 60.1 62.3 64.0 70.1 69.9 
			 Wigan 44.8 43.2 45.7 46.7 47.1 49.3 50.7 51.3 51.7 56.1 
			 Former Lancashire 43.8  
			 Blackburn with Darwen  35.8 35.9 40.0 37.6 42.0 36.8 43.1 46.8 51.2 
			 Blackpool  34.6 36.5 36.0 35.6 36.4 38.9 36.8 40.7 48.8 
			 Lancashire  47.0 48.0 49.6 50.1 51.7 53.4 53.8 56.4 58.1 
			 Knowsley 23.4 22.9 23.6 25.0 27.1 30.1 33.5 38.1 44.4 47.9 
			 Liverpool 30.1 30.9 32.4 35.3 35.2 39.2 41.3 44.6 49.0 53.5 
			 St. Helens 40.2 39.5 43.4 47.3 45.8 45.5 45.0 47.7 55.6 56.4 
			 Sefton 45.0 44.4 48.7 48.4 50.0 52.6 52.9 55.4 57.0 61.0 
			 Wirral 44.5 45.3 46.9 48.7 50.5 53.1 55.1 54.0 56.6 57.2 
			
			  Yorkshire and Humber   
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 44.3 47.0 48.7 49.9 50.1 49.7 51.0 55.6 61.0 61.5 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 21.4 22.8 23.4 24.4 27.5 28.9 32.1 34.7 44.1 50.7 
			 North East Lincolnshire 30.7 33.3 35.5 35.8 36.5 37.8 35.2 39.2 42.4 47.7 
			 North Lincolnshire 39.7 41.8 41.6 43.8 42.3 42.6 46.9 49.2 51.7 53.2 
			 York 51.4 48.9 51.5 52.6 54.2 56.4 58.9 56.6 59.8 61.5 
			 North Yorkshire 54.0 56.4 56.8 59.4 58.3 60.2 58.8 60.7 62.5 63.6 
			 Barnsley 28.6 29.8 32.4 34.9 35.1 35.4 39.3 40.7 45.6 48.5 
			 Doncaster 33.8 34.1 36.2 36.8 39.9 39.6 40.2 41.0 44.7 51.3 
			 Rotherham 37.4 36.8 40.4 41.1 43.1 41.6 44.5 46.0 48.9 51.6 
			 Sheffield 38.3 38.0 37.6 41.0 42.0 41.4 43.3 44.8 46.7 47.3 
			 Bradford 28.9 29.6 32.1 33.7 34.3 37.3 39.6 39.8 46.5 49.2 
			 Calderdale 38.2 39.4 41.9 43.6 48.8 50.5 52.1 52.8 54.6 57.5 
			 Kirklees 39.5 39.8 41.3 43.8 44.2 47.5 47.2 47.4 50.9 52.6 
			 Leeds 37.4 37.9 39.4 40.3 39.6 42.4 44.4 45.4 49.3 51.3 
			 Wakefield 37.9 38.7 41.7 43.2 44.8 45.6 45.7 50.1 56.5 57.4 
			
			  East Midlands   
			 Derby 38.2 38.2 40.9 41.3 43.0 45.2 48.8 48.8 53.5 54.8 
			 Derbyshire 43.5 45.8 49.1 50.0 51.5 53.0 53.4 53.6 55.2 56.9 
			 Leicester City 32.8 34.8 37.1 33.8 37.0 40.5 42.8 42.9 45.2 46.2 
			 Rutland 49.0 44.0 58.9 61.6 57.2 61.1 62.4 58.2 66.2 67.4 
			 Leicestershire 44.7 45.8 48.3 48.5 49.6 52.5 54.8 54.7 56.8 58.2 
			 Lincolnshire 46.7 48.4 50.3 52.7 54.2 54.4 57.1 57.4 58.6 61.7 
			 Northamptonshire 42.2 44.5 46.7 47.8 48.7 50.6 51.3 51.1 51.9 54.1 
			 Former Nottinghamshire 37.6  
			 Nottingham City  26.2 28.7 28.7 30.3 31.4 35.1 37.8 41.8 43.6 
			 Nottinghamshire  42.3 43.4 44.3 45.6 46.9 46.6 47.4 47.0 50.9 
			
			  West Midlands   
			 Former Hereford and Worcester 44.1  
			 Herefordshire  47.5 52.0 53.4 53.5 56.0 58.2 57.6 56.7 61.2 
			 Worcestershire  45.7 47.9 48.2 49.6 52.1 52.0 54.9 55.7 57.4 
			 Former Shropshire 49.3  
			 Telford and The Wrekin  45.4 45.3 48.1 47.3 49.7 50.4 49.5 53.6 54.3 
			 Shropshire  53.3 55.4 56.4 53.8 58.4 59.9 59.5 62.9 62.1 
			 Stoke on Trent 30.5 32.6 35.8 33.7 35.6 38.6 46.1 43.8 48.1 48.8 
			 Staffordshire 45.0 45.0 48.1 48.1 48.2 50.1 51.5 51.0 54.4 56.3 
			 Warwickshire 44.5 46.0 47.1 49.5 50.5 51.7 54.0 54.3 57.2 58.1 
			 Birmingham 35.3 35.9 38.1 40.8 41.2 45.3 49.4 51.2 56.4 58.1 
			 Coventry 36.9 37.1 39.1 40.8 42.6 43.2 45.8 45.5 46.3 47.2 
			 Dudley 42.5 44.3 47.6 48.4 49.7 51.7 50.9 51.3 53.4 55.6 
			 Sandwell 26.9 28.7 29.7 31.7 34.3 34.2 35.9 38.0 42.9 46.9 
			 Solihull 51.2 52.2 52.3 55.1 55.9 58.2 59.9 60.2 64.1 66.6 
			 Walsall 33.8 34.6 36.1 37.0 40.6 42.4 43.3 43.5 46.3 49.8 
			 Wolverhampton 33.1 34.8 39.1 39.1 42.4 43.3 46.9 48.5 54.6 54.3 
			
			  East of England   
			 Luton 34.3 35.0 35.8 39.5 38.2 39.5 41.5 43.8 49.9 50.3 
			 Bedfordshire 44.3 46.6 47.2 49.4 49.2 51.2 50.8 51.2 53.4 55.8 
			 Former Cambridgeshire 45.6  
			 City of Peterborough  41.3 41.1 41.7 43.8 42.8 46.6 48.5 53.5 56.8 
			 Cambridgeshire  51.6 52.7 51.7 53.6 54.3 54.7 56.2 58.5 59.9 
			 Former Essex 44.6  
			 Southend  48.4 54.1 53.1 55.9 56.0 56.6 57.2 61.3 62.3 
			 Thurrock  34.5 35.9 39.5 41.8 46.8 49.4 45.3 48.8 55.6 
			 Essex  48.6 49.3 50.8 52.0 53.5 55.0 55.4 56.4 58.6 
			 Hertfordshire 50.7 54.0 54.9 55.4 56.3 56.7 58.1 58.5 61.4 64.1 
			 Norfolk 44.6 46.0 47.7 48.2 49.7 50.4 50.3 50.5 52.4 54.6 
			 Suffolk 47.4 49.4 53.8 53.3 54.3 56.5 57.0 57.3 58.1 58.9 
			
			  Inner London   
			 City of London   
			 Camden 47.8 45.8 47.1 50.5 50.3 48.4 49.9 54.2 51.5 53.7 
			 Hackney 30.4 26.5 27.8 31.5 33.5 31.1 39.2 45.1 47.2 48.8 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 40.1 43.5 48.9 47.5 51.1 50.5 51.6 49.9 58.9 61.5 
			 Haringey 26.7 26.6 30.3 29.8 30.9 35.6 39.0 43.7 48.4 50.3 
			 Islington 24.9 23.3 27.4 25.7 28.7 32.9 38.6 46.0 44.1 45.5 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 43.9 45.4 44.5 47.9 55.3 55.7 56.0 55.8 61.2 61.6 
			 Lambeth 28.6 28.8 31.9 31.1 35.9 40.1 41.7 48.1 52.3 51.5 
			 Lewisham 29.4 32.8 32.3 34.8 35.2 38.7 39.4 46.2 49.0 53.2 
			 Newham 33.4 34.0 34.6 35.8 39.1 42.4 45.8 49.4 51.1 51.6 
			 Southwark 27.2 29.1 29.5 31.1 33.6 35.8 40.0 41.6 47.2 47.5 
			 Tower Hamlets 25.7 27.6 31.1 32.5 34.8 43.7 42.7 48.0 50.8 54.6 
			 Wandsworth 35.0 34.7 35.6 40.9 43.2 48.6 49.8 49.1 54.2 56.7 
			 Westminster 34.1 34.5 35.0 35.8 39.2 41.5 44.3 43.9 46.3 48.4 
			
			  Outer London   
			 Barking and Dagenham 30.9 31.3 34.0 38.1 38.2 42.4 49.3 46.3 50.1 55.1 
			 Barnet 52.0 56.3 56.9 56.7 55.8 59.2 59.8 61.2 63.2 63.4 
			 Bexley 44.5 47.6 47.9 49.6 48.6 52.6 54.2 56.6 57.4 64.1 
			 Brent 38.3 44.8 43.0 46.9 45.6 49.7 50.7 54.5 57.4 59.4 
			 Bromley 52.7 55.4 56.5 59.4 55.5 59.9 58.9 61.7 63.9 67.0 
			 Croydon 40.4 39.5 42.4 42.3 45.1 48.9 48.5 51.8 54.2 55.8 
			 Ealing 37.9 44.6 45.6 45.3 47.1 49.9 54.3 53.0 59.4 60.2 
			 Enfield 42.3 41.5 46.8 45.8 47.0 46.3 48.5 52.0 51.5 52.7 
			 Greenwich 30.8 33.1 31.7 32.3 33.8 33.5 35.7 40.3 45.3 41.3 
			 Harrow 53.4 52.8 55.1 56.5 57.5 59.1 57.8 60.5 61.3 62.7 
			 Havering 48.1 50.1 54.2 55.8 55.7 57.3 60.8 62.6 61.1 62.7 
			 Hillingdon 40.4 44.0 44.1 47.8 47.1 46.0 47.6 47.9 50.6 52.4 
			 Hounslow 44.1 46.5 46.7 45.3 45.6 49,5 52.0 52.4 57.6 62.2 
			 Kingston upon Thames 57.5 58.6 57.0 61.2 61.3 60.1 67.0 63.9 66.4 66.9 
			 Merton 37.5 37.3 38.8 40.2 40.0 40.9 45.5 46.1 46.8 47.8 
			 Redbridge 52.5 54.7 58.5 59.4 63.0 63.7 65.6 68.1 69.7 71.6 
			 Richmond upon Thames 46.5 50.6 51.9 51.1 54.6 51.4 56.8 55.5 54.9 55.7 
			 Sutton 54.7 57.9 60.1 63.3 60.2 64.8 64.9 66.4 67.7 70.3 
			 Waltham Forest 35.5 37.2 36.6 39.2 42.8 44.3 45.5 47.1 49.0 50.5 
			
			  South East   
			 Former Berkshire 48.9  
			 Bracknell Forest  45.4 45.4 46.6 49.1 45.5 49.2 52.4 54.0 59.2 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead  57.2 57.9 59.2 58.8 56.4 59.8 59.6 59.2 63.0 
			 West Berkshire  54.5 56.8 56.0 56.1 57.1 60.6 61.0 60.6 64.0 
			 Reading  42.7 42.9 45.5 46.8 44.3 45.5 45.1 45.8 53.7 
			 Slough  42.9 48.1 51.1 52.4 50.5 53.4 56.5 56.5 61.4 
			 Wokingham  56.2 58.2 59.8 61.3 62.6 62.7 62.2 60.5 63.7 
			 Milton Keynes 35.0 34.6 39.5 41.0 42.5 46.0 48.0 48.2 51.9 49.5 
			 Buckinghamshire 59.7 59.5 61.0 61.6 63.4 64.4 65.5 65.9 67.3 68.4 
			 Brighton and Hove 40.1 42.2 42.1 43.7 43.2 45.6 47.8 49.5 55.0 54.2 
			 East Sussex 45.5 46.9 49.6 51.0 50.3 51.2 52.8 54.3 54.5 54.9 
			 Portsmouth 31.6 30.7 32.2 34.0 34.3 36.5 44.5 41.8 46.0 47.3 
			 Southampton 40.9 41.0 40.5 39.8 43.1 43.3 44.3 44.2 47.0 47.9 
			 Hampshire 49.4 51.2 53.1 54.8 54.9 56.2 57.5 58.4 60.7 61.1 
			 Isle of Wight 43.9 39.8 44.6 44.8 44.4 44.1 44.3 44.0 45.4 47.3 
			 Former Kent 45.7  
			 Medway  43.8 45.4 43.7 47.8 49.1 52.7 50.1 51.9 55.6 
			 Kent  49.2 50.9 51.2 52.5 53.9 55.6 55.9 59.7 61.0 
			 Oxfordshire 47.2 46.5 47.9 50.2 49.7 51.5 51.4 51.2 53.6 55.9 
			 Surrey 51.0 53.6 56.6 57.6 58.2 58.4 59.4 58.6 60.9 62.1 
			 West Sussex 50.3 51.7 53.7 54.5 55.0 53.7 55.8 53.9 55.9 58.5 
			
			  South West   
			 Bath and NE Somerset 51.3 53.2 54.7 57.1 56.4 58.4 60.0 60.2 63.0 66.1 
			 Bristol 32.1 29.0 31.0 31.1 31.8 31.0 35.3 35.1 36.1 43.5 
			 North Somerset 50.9 52.0 51.7 53.4 50.8 53.3 54.8 55.0 57.2 58.0 
			 South Gloucestershire 44.6 45.1 47.6 47.7 48.7 52.4 54.1 50.0 55.4 54.4 
			 Cornwall 48.8 51.1 51.6 52.7 53.3 54.1 54.4 54.7 55.7 57.0 
			 Isles of Scilly 61.1 66.7 61.3 76.9 70.8 63.0 87.5 92.9 79.2 84.6 
			 Former Devon 44.0  
			 Torbay  48.0 47.4 50.2 51.7 54.3 51.8 53.1 53.5 51.5 
			 City of Plymouth  43.6 47.8 47.5 50.3 51.4 53.0 51.8 54.9 58.3 
			 Devon  47.0 48.4 49.1 51.3 50.4 52.6 54.9 55.6 57.5 
			 Bournemouth 47.6 49.2 48.8 48.1 51.6 53.5 54.6 53.8 51.8 54.3 
			 Poole 50.7 53.2 55.9 59.5 58.5 60.9 59.0 62.2 63.9 62.7 
			 Dorset 49.8 50.0 53.5 54.6 56.4 59.0 59.8 59.0 60.5 61.6 
			 Gloucestershire 51.6 54.7 56.1 56.9 58.3 60.9 61.2 60.9 62.3 63.0 
			 Somerset 48.9 51.2 52.7 55.3 54.7 54.8 54.9 56.4 56.5 56.0 
			 Swindon 43.0 43.6 45.2 44.1 44.5 46.9 49.1 46.4 50.1 52.8 
			 Wiltshire 50.5 51.9 52.3 55.5 55.5 57.0 57.6 56.6 57.7 57.7 
			 England (maintained) 42.5 43.8 45.7 47.0 47.9 49.5 51.1 52.0 54.8 58.1 
			 (1) Provisional

Higher Education

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the participation rate was of 18 to 24-year-olds in higher education in  (a) England,  (b) Wales and  (c) each Government office region in each of the last 10 years.

Bill Rammell: The main measure for tracking progress on increasing participation is currently the higher education initial participation rate (HEIPR). This is the sum of the HE initial participation rates for individual ages between 17 and 30 inclusive. It covers English-domiciled first-time entrants to HE courses, which are expected to last for at least six months, at UK higher education institutions and English further education colleges, and who remain on their course for at least six months. The initial participation rates for18 to 24-year-olds can be derived from the HEIPR and the figures are shown in the table:
	
		
			  HE initial participation rate for 18 to 24-year-olds 
			   Percentage 
			 1999/2000 36 (35.9) 
			 2000/01 37 (36.8) 
			 2001/02 37 (37.4) 
			 2002/03 38 (38.1) 
			 2003/04 37 (37.1) 
			 2004/05 37 (37.0) 
			  Note: The HEIPR is usually published to the nearest integer, but the figures are included to one decimal place to inform comparisons over time. 
		
	
	The HEIPR is only available for English-domiciled students, and it is not broken down by smaller areas.
	The latest available figures on participation by local areas were published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in January 2005 in Young participation in higher education which is available from the HEFCE website at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/. The HEFCE report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 disaggregated by parliamentary constituency, local education authority (LEA) and Government office region for the years 1997 to 2000.
	Figures taken from this report for the Government office regions, together with the comparable figure for England, are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Young participation rate (YPR (A)) 
			  Percentage 
			   Year cohort aged 18 in: 
			  Government office region/country  1997  1988  1999  2000 
			 North East 24.2 23.4 24.0 24.0 
			 North West 27.4 27.5 27.6 28.2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 25.6 24.6 25.2 25.6 
			 East Midlands 27.7 27.2 27.5 27.9 
			 West Midlands 27.3 27.1 27.7 28.1 
			 East of England 29.2 28.6 28.6 30.1 
			 London 33.1 34.2 35.0 36.4 
			 South East 33.2 32.2 32.7 33.3 
			 South West 30.7 29.1 29.1 30.0 
			 Wales 29.2 29.8 29.9 30.3 
			 England 29.2 28.8 29.2 29.9 
			  Source: Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Key Stages

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what skills he expects pupils to have after completing key stages  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four; and how the achievement of those skills is monitored.

Jim Knight: At the end of each key stage, pupil performance is measured against National Curriculum 'level descriptions' of increasing difficulty, which cover the knowledge, skills and understanding they should have acquired in each curriculum subject.
	In the core subjects, attainment is monitored using statutory tests and teacher assessments at the end of Key Stages 1, 2 and 3.
	
		
			  National curriculum levels measure the pupil's progress in each subject year-by-year 
			   Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7)  Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11)  Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14) 
			 Level 8
			 Level 7   (1) 
			 Level 6   (2) 
			 Level 5  (1) (2) 
			 Level 4  (2) (1) 
			 Level 3 (1) (1) (1) 
			 Level 2 (2) (1)  
			 Level 1 (1)   
			 (1 )During the key stage most children will work within this range of levels (2 )By the end of the key stage, most children will reach this level  Note: National Curriculum levels are not used for assessment at KeyStage 4 
		
	
	There are no tests in the foundation subjects, but we do expect teachers to provide an assessment for these subjects. The Department monitors attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 through teacher assessment.
	At the end of Key Stage 4 there is a requirement on schools to enter pupils for qualifications for which they have been prepared. In the majority of cases this is GCSE.
	Achievement at the end of Key Stage 4 is reported nationally each year in the Achievement and Attainment Tables.

Learning and Skills Council

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council is paid; and who appointed him.

Bill Rammell: Mark Haysom was appointed as chief executive by the National Council of the Learning and Skills Council. His basic salary for the year ended March 2006 was 204,000, as reported in the LSC's Annual Report and Accounts.

Learning and Skills Council

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people are employed by the Learning and Skills Council; and what its expenditure on administration was in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005.

Bill Rammell: In November 2006 the total LSC work force stood at 3,589 staff, including temporary staff.
	Expenditure on administration was 229.5 million in the year ended 31 March 2004 and 226 million in the year ended 31 March 2005. The administration spend fell to 212.5 million in year ended 31 March 2006.

Learning and Skills Council

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he last met the Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council; and what the subjects of discussion were.

Bill Rammell: I have regular meetings with Mark Haysom, the Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council, as part of the overall accountability and performance framework. These include regular formal review meetings. Our most recent review meeting took place on 6 December, and we considered a range of subjects including the review of skills undertaken by Lord Leitch; progress on our post-16 learning targets and on key programmes such as Train to Gain.

Learning and Skills Council

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times he overruled Learning and Skills Council decisions on funding projects in 2005.

Bill Rammell: None. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State does not have the power to overrule the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) on individual funding decisions. Section 25 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 gives the Secretary of State the power to give directions to the LSC but such directions may not concern LSC decisions about the provision of financial resources in respect of activities carried on by a particular person or persons.

Management Consultants

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on consultants over the last 12 months in relation to  (a) the restructuring of the Learning and Skills Council,  (b) the Foster report,  (c) departmental restructuring and  (d) introduction of vocational diplomas.

Parmjit Dhanda: The amounts spent on consultants over the last 12 months in relation to  (a) the restructuring of the Learning and Skills Council,  (b) the Foster report,  (c) departmental restructuring and  (d) introduction of vocational diplomas are as follows:
	 (a) Nil;
	 (b) 1,000;
	 (c) A definitive answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost. We do know, however, that 710,000 has been spent on departmental restructuring;
	 (d) 130,225. (45,866 of this amount relates to work on all 14-19 policies including the introduction of vocational diplomas).

Nursery Staff

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the average salary of nursery workers in each year since 2003-04.

Beverley Hughes: No annual estimate of the average salary of nursery workers has been made since 2003-04. The following table though does show information taken from the most recent survey of childcare and early years providers. It compares information for 2005 with that from the previous survey in 2003.
	
		
			  Average pay rates and weekly hours worked for all full day care staff 
			   2005  2003 
			 Average hourly rate of pay () 6.40 5.50 
			 Average hours worked per week 32.4 35 
			  Source: 2005 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey conducted for the DfES by BMRB Social Research

Ofsted Inspections

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the quality of Ofsted inspections; and how many inspections were adjudged to be  (a) below and  (b) above the expected standard in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 19 December 2006:
	 Parliamentary Question Number 106838: The Quality of Ofsted Inspections
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked what assessment the Secretary of State has made of the quality of Ofsted inspections; and how many inspections fell (a) below and (b) above the expected standard in the last period for which figures are available.
	Ofsted published an evaluation report on the new arrangements for the inspection of maintained schools under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 on 21 July 2006. On the same date, it also published an interim report by NFER, which is undertaking an independent external evaluation of the impact of section 5 inspections.
	The full titles and links to these reports are as follows:
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/2373
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/20060721
	Ofsted works with its partners, the five Regional Inspection Service Providers (RISPs), to undertake inspections of maintained schools. Ofsted provides the frameworks, instruments and guidance used by all inspectors when conducting inspections, and arranges training for Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI). The RISPs and NISPs recruit, train, deploy and manage additional inspectors (AIs); they are responsible for ensuring that they are fit and proper persons who conduct inspections and write reports to the high standards required by Ofsted. HMI visit a proportion of the inspections conducted by AIs and, as required by the 2005 Act, 'sign off' new AIs when they conduct inspections for the first time. All inspection reports are scrutinised by HMI and 'signed off' as fit for publication in HMCI's name. In exceptional circumstances, if an inspection or report is found to be seriously flawed, Ofsted has the power to declare it void and to arrange a new inspection.
	The most recent data about the quality of Ofsted inspections of maintained schools is for November 2006. In this month, there were 1,069 section 5 inspections of maintained schools. Quality assurance visits were made by Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) to 69 of these (about 6.5 per cent.). On none of these was it necessary for HMI to intervene in the process of inspection. During the month, 34 new AIs were presented for assessment by HMI and all were 'signed off'. Eight complaints about section 5 inspections were fully or partially upheld during the month.13 reports were not 'signed off' by HMI and required significant amendment before publication.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Private Finance Initiative

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 28 November 2006,  Official Report, column 509W, on private finance initiatives, what his Department's total contribution was towards repayment during the total length of the contract for each project listed in the table placed in the Library.

Jim Knight: holding answer 18 December 2006
	PFI contracts for the delivery of schools are contracts between local authorities and private sector contractors and the Department is not party to them. The Department does not contribute directly to the unitary charge (which covers the cost of the managed service provided as well as the cost of capital repayment) paid by the local authority to the contractor during the duration of the contract.

Private Finance Initiative

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his Answer of 28 November 2006,  Official Report, column 509W, on the private finance initiatives, and the table deposited in the Library, what the  (a) total cost of repayments and  (b) period of repayments is for each project listed.

Jim Knight: The table deposited in the House Library includes the information which the Department holds. As I said in my reply of 28 November, the Department does not hold complete detailed information on the total cost to local authorities of such contracts. In any event, the payments made by local authorities to private sector contractors not only cover the repayment of the capital invested but also pay for the managed service provided. The information we have provided in the table placed in the House Library has been estimated by the Department on the basis of returns from the local authorities concerned, and some of the returns are incomplete. Generally, school PFI contracts are for a period of between 25 and 30 years.

Public Finance Contracts

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total liability to his Department would be in circumstances of immediate termination of all  (a) public/private partnerships and  (b) public finance initiative contracts.

Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills is not party to any current public/private partnerships nor any private finance initiative contracts.

Public Finance Contracts

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what  (a) public-private partnerships and  (b) private finance initiative contracts have been entered into by his Department; what assets were transferred to the private sector as part of each deal; what the value of these assets was; what the total cost is of each contract; and what estimate was made of the cost to his Department of traditional procurement over the life of each contract.

Jim Knight: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Department has only entered into one public-private partnership (PPP) agreement, in July 2001, which was with Capita Business Services Ltd. for management and delivery of the Connexions Card. The PPP Agreement budget was 108.8 million (originally 109.7 million) for the period September 2001 to December 2008. However, the Department announced on 9 June 2006 that the Connexions Card scheme was to close early. The PPP Agreement was terminated on 5 August 2006.
	Ownership of Departmental assets was not transferred to Capita. The public sector comparator calculation made at the time showed that the cost of the Connexions Card PPP was likely to be in the mid range of estimated costs of a comparable traditional procurement. But this was not the key factor in deciding to use a PPP; more important was the ability of a partner organisation to manage, develop and implement complex smart card technology and also have commercial expertise to negotiate rewards and discounts associated with the Connexions Card.
	 (b) The Department itself has not entered into any private finance initiative contracts.

Pupils: Exclusions

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what sub-categories of exclusions are included in the figure listed under Other for exclusions in London referred to in his answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 176-78.

Jim Knight: Schools and local authorities select from the following list which category best describes the reason for exclusion.
	Physical assault against a pupil
	Physical assault against an adult
	Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against a pupil
	Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult
	Bullying
	Racist abuse
	Sexual misconduct
	Drug and alcohol-related
	Damage
	Theft
	Persistent disruptive behaviour
	Other
	Sub-categories of these twelve reasons for exclusion are not collected centrally. The 'other' category should be used when the reason for exclusion is not adequately described by the other eleven categories given in the list.

Rural Support

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what programmes of support his Department makes available to rural areas; and what the cost of such programmes is expected to be in 2007-08.

Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills continues to work closely with Defra and the Commission for Rural Communities to support the delivery of education in rural areas.
	The General Sure Start Grant (1.5 billion in 2007-08) supports the delivery of Sure Start children's centres, extended schools and sufficient quality child care across the country including rural areas. Allocations to local authorities for Sure Start children's centres and extended schools include rural weighting to take into account the higher costs of delivering services to dispersed rural communities.
	We recognise that local schools are at the heart of many rural communities. Guidance to School Organisation Committees on the presumption against the closure of rural schools has been strengthened.

School Nursing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards developing a national programme for best practice in school nursing.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	As part of Choosing Health, the Department has produced a number of publications for school nurses, schools and young people on the modern role of school nurses. The school nursing practice development resource pack, 2006, provides a framework for good practice in school nursing in England. National standards for school nurse training are set down by the regulatory body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

School Playing Fields

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school playing fields there were in  (a) May 1997 and  (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not held centrally. We requested data on school playing fields from local authorities in 2001 and 2003 but the information provided was not complete and of variable quality, and it was not possible to assess the number of school playing fields.
	Since 1997, the Secretary of State has granted consent to 174 applications from local authorities and schools that result in the loss of an area of grassed land that could comprise a school sports pitch of at least 2,000m(2). Of these, 74 related to playing fields at closed or closing schools.

Schools: Admissions

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school admission appeals there were in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Skills Bodies

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on  (a) redundancy,  (b) merger,  (c) infrastructure charges and  (d) equipment costs of reorganisations of (i) learning and skills councils, (ii) training and enterprise councils, (iii) sector skills councils, (iv) the Learning and Skills Development Agency, (v) the Quality Improvement Agency and (vi) the Institute for Learning and Lifelong Learning UK in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The following table provides information for the organisations by year from 2000-01 to 2006-07. There is no identifiable expenditure in the specified areas for the years 1997 to 2000. Blank boxes in the table also indicate that there is no identifiable expenditure for the organisations in these areas. The notes in the table provide a brief explanation for the organisations.
	
		
			  000 
			   Learning and Skills Council  Training and Enterprise Council  Sector Skills Councils  LSDA  QIA  Institute for Learning  Lifelong Learning UK 
			  Cost type  Redundancies  Wind down costs  Costs not incurred in the areas specified  (a) Infrastructure charges  (a) Infrastructure charges  Costs not incurred in the areas specified  Costs not incurred in the areas specified 
			  (b) Redundancies  (b) Equipment costs   
			 2006-07 (a) 610   
			  (b) 200   
			 2005-06 35,436   (a) 25
			 (b) 566
			 2004-05 377   
			 2003-04 14,428   
			 2002-03 753   
			 2001-02 3,650   
			 2000-01  61,941  
			  Notes: (i) Learning and Skills Council (set up in 2001) The total costs of redundancies are set out above. These are the only costs separately identifiable as being the direct cost of re-organisation. The figure for 2005-06 includes an accounting provision for the ongoing costs of the LSC's current Agenda for Change Theme 7 re-organisation. Most of these costs will be incurred in 2006-07. In addition the 2005-06 accounts include further accounting provisions for the property costs of re-organisation (18 million) and other related HR and Training costs (3.4 million). The 2003-04 redundancy costs were as a result of a major reshaping exercise undertaken at the time by the LSC to increase efficiency, reduce staffing costs, and to ensure that it had the capacity and skills to deliver the targets set. The redundancy costs in 2001-02 related to costs incurred as a result of the creation of the LSC from the FEFC and the TEC network. (ii) Training and Enterprise Council (set up in April 1990, disbanded March 2001).  The TECs ceased business on 26 March 2001 and the costs above relate to wind-down costs. These costs were recorded in the TEC/CCTE statutory accounts in 2000-01. The costs were not presented by TECs in a consistent format and we cannot accurately disaggregate specific redundancy costs. There are no specific TEC merger costs recorded. The last TEC merger took place on 1 April 1997, when Focus Central London TEC was formed from the merger of CILNTEC and CENTEC. We are not aware of any costs relating to redundancies, equipment costs or infrastructure changes before the TECs were wound down. (iii) Sector Skills Councils (set up between 2002 and 2005) Since coming into being between 2002 and 2005 the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) have not been subject to reorganisations and hence they have not incurred any costs as a result of reorganisation for redundancy, merger, infrastructure charges or equipment costs. (iv) The Learning and Skills Development Agency (set up in November 2000, disbanded in March 2006). The costs above relate to the disbanding of the LSDA in March 2006. Its activities have been taken over by the QIA as part of a rationalisation of the quality improvement landscape in the FE sector. (v) the Quality Improvement Agency (set up in April 2006) The costs relate to the setting up of the QIA in April 2006. (vi) the Institute for Learning (set up in 2002) We are not aware of any costs relating to redundancy, merger, infrastructure or equipment costs of reorganisations. (vii) Lifelong Learning UK (set up in June 2004) We are not aware of any costs relating to redundancy, merger, infrastructure or equipment costs of reorganisations.

Smacking

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the implementation of the law on smacking.

Jim Knight: The Government will review the operation of section 58 of the Children Act in 2007.

Special Educational Needs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools fall within each percentage point in terms of the proportion of pupils attending the school who have special educational needs.

Parmjit Dhanda: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : Number of schools by the percentage of pupils with special educational needs (SEN)( 2 ) As at January 2006Schools in England 
			   Number of schools 
			  Percentage of school population with SEN (both with and without statements)( 2,3)  Primary  Secondary 
			 0.0 to 0.9 41 22 
			 1.0 to 1.9 34 48 
			 2.0 to 2.9 65 28 
			 3.0 to 3.9 126 35 
			 4.0 to 4.9 188 31 
			 5.0 to 5.9 247 47 
			 6.0 to 6.9 361 52 
			 7.0 to 7.9 468 88 
			 8.0 to 8.9 601 85 
			 9.0 to 9.9 637 133 
			 10.0 to 10.9 723 129 
			 11.0 to 11.9 776 164 
			 12.0 to 12.9 796 179 
			 13.0 to 13.9 866 168 
			 14.0 to 14.9 866 165 
			 15.0 to 15.9 842 171 
			 16.0 to 16.9 828 158 
			 17.0 to 17.9 811 145 
			 18.0 to 18.9 733 140 
			 19.0 to 19.9 713 129 
			 20.0 to 20.9 697 117 
			 21.0 to 21.9 636 108 
			 22.0 to 22.9 552 106 
			 23.0 to 23.9 538 104 
			 24.0 to 24.9 447 99 
			 25.0 to 25.9 464 86 
			 26.0 to 26.9 421 63 
			 27.0 to 27.9 340 61 
			 28.0 to 28.9 296 45 
			 29.0 to 29.9 282 46 
			 30.0 to 30.9 240 49 
			 31.0 to 31.9 248 39 
			 32.0 to 32.9 217 37 
			 33.0 to 33.9 191 29 
			 34.0 to 34.9 137 30 
			 35.0 to 35.9 153 21 
			 36.0 to 36.9 136 21 
			 37.0 to 37.9 105 24 
			 38.0 to 38.9 89 24 
			 39.0 to 39.9 77 11 
			 40.0 to 40.9 71 18 
			 41.0 to 41.9 64 17 
			 42.0 to 42.9 51 8 
			 43.0 to 43.9 53 9 
			 44.0 to 44.9 49 11 
			 45.0 to 45.9 27 5 
			 46.0 to 46.9 24 5 
			 47.0 to 47.9 24 4 
			 48.0 to 48.9 19 4 
			 49.0 to 49.9 13 10 
			 50.0 to 50.9 12 3 
			 51.0 to 51.9 24 6 
			 52.0 to 52.9 11 3 
			 53.0 to 53.9 6 4 
			 54.0 to 54.9 11 1 
			 55.0 to 55.9 7 3 
			 56.0 to 56.9 11 4 
			 57.0 to 57.9 1 5 
			 58.0 to 58.9 7 1 
			 59.0 to 59.9 6 2 
			 60.0 to 60.9 6 0 
			 61.0 to 61.9 5 2 
			 62.0 to 62.9 3 2 
			 63.0 to 63.9 2 0 
			 64.0 to 64.9 2 0 
			 65.0 to 65.9 1 1 
			 66.0 to 66.9 0 0 
			 67.0 to 67.9 0 0 
			 68.0 to 68.9 1 1 
			 69.0 to 69.9 0 1 
			 70.0 to 70.9 0 0 
			 71.0 to 71.9 1 0 
			 72.0 to 72.9 0 0 
			 73.0 to 73.9 1 0 
			 74.0 to 74.9 1 0 
			 75.0 to 75.9 1 0 
			 76.0 to 76.9 1 0 
			 77.0 to 77.9 0 0 
			 78.0 to 78.9 0 0 
			 79.0 to 79.9 0 0 
			 80.0 to 80.9 0 0 
			 81.0 to 81.9 0 0 
			 82.0 to 82.9 0 0 
			 83.0 to 83.9 0 0 
			 84.0 to 84.9 0 0 
			 85.0 to 85.9 0 0 
			 86.0 to 86.9 0 0 
			 87.0 to 87.9 0 0 
			 88.0 to 88.9 0 0 
			 89.0 to 89.9 0 0 
			 90.0 to 90.9 0 0 
			 91.0 to 91.9 0 0 
			 92.0 to 92.9 0 0 
			 93.0 to 93.9 0 0 
			 94.0 to 94.9 0 0 
			 95.0 to 95.9 0 0 
			 96.0 to 96.9 0 0 
			 97.0 to 97.9 0 0 
			 98.0 to 98.9 0 0 
			 99.0 to 99.9 0 0 
			 100 0 0 
			 Total 17,504 3,367 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes pupils with statements of SEN and those pupils with SEN without statements expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils on roll. Excludes dually registered pupils.  (3) Percentages have been rounded to one decimal place.   Source:  School Census.

Student Finance Direct

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he has taken to remedy the  (a) administrative problems at and  (b) problems caused for customers by the new Student Finance Direct body.

Bill Rammell: Those students who applied to the Student Loans Company on time with correctly completed application forms were paid on time, but a number of improvements to processes and customer service provision have been identified and already put in place to improve the service offered. We have already started the process of evaluating the performance of the pilot unit in order to learn lessons to improve the service given to students next year.

Student Finance Direct

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of  (a) administrative and  (b) customer-facing problems of the Student Finance Direct body.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave today, in response to parliamentary question number 109794.

Student Statistics

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students from  (a) North East and  (b) North Lincolnshire local education authority (i) attended university courses and (ii) received student loans to attend university in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Numbers of students on undergraduate courses at UK higher education institutions and numbers of students in receipt of an income-contingent student loanstudents domiciled in North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire local authority areasacademic years 1997/98 to 2005/06 
			   North East Lincolnshire LA  North Lincolnshire LA 
			  Academic year  Number of students( 1,2)  Number of students receiving an income-contingent loan( 1,3)  Number of students( 1,2)  Number of students receiving an income-contingent loan( 1,3) 
			 1997/98 2,365 n/a 2,730 n/a 
			 1998/99 2,530 n/a 2,885 n/a 
			 1999/2000 2,510 1,040 2,995 1,240 
			 2000/01 2,540 1,500 3,245 1,810 
			 2001/02 2,385 1,725 3,260 2,070 
			 2002/03 2,435 1,760 3,320 2,100 
			 2003/04 2,560 2,045 3,260 2,190 
			 2004/05 2,695 2,035 2,995 2,130 
			 2005/06 (provisional) n/a 2,080 n/a 2,085 
			 (1) Figures are for students domiciled in the North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire local education authorities. They are rounded to the nearest 5 students. (2) SourceHigher Education Statistics Agency. Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1st December in each year. They cover student enrolments on Part-time and Full-time modes of study on all undergraduate courses. They exclude students on Writing Up, Sabbatical and Dormant modes of study. (3) SourceStudent Loans Company. Figures include all students in receipt of an income-contingent maintenance loan. 
		
	
	Figures for student numbers for 2005/06 will be available in January 2007.

Supervised Contact

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was allocated by his Department and bodies for which it is responsible to fund centres run by charitable and voluntary organisations where supervised contact takes place in the last year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: In 2006-07, 1.4 million was allocated by the Department for Education and Skills to fund supervised child contact centres run by charitable and voluntary organisations.

Tuition Fees

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of students have their university tuition fees paid in  (a) full and  (b) part by their local education authority.

Bill Rammell: The number and percentage of English domiciled students in academic year 2005-06 who had their tuition fees paid in full or in part are given in the table.
	
		
			   Number of students( 1)  Percentage of students( 1) 
			 Students in receipt of full fee support 315,000 43 
			 Students in receipt of partial fee support 92,000 13 
			 (1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand; percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.  Source: Student Loans Company (SLC). 
		
	
	Data do not include those students who decide not to apply to the SLC for any student support.
	In 2005-06, students on full-time undergraduate courses and their families were expected to make a contribution towards the cost of their tuition based on household income. Students from lower-income backgrounds were wholly or partially exempt from paying tuition fees.
	In 2006-07, no student needs to find money upfront to meet tuition fees as they are eligible for a tuition fee loan of up to 3,000.

University Admissions

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students  (a) applied for and  (b) were successful in obtaining places on degree courses at English universities in (i) law, (ii) medicine, (iii) engineering, (iv) accountancy and (v) veterinary studies in the most recent year for which figures are available, broken down by social class; and what the percentage change in (A) applicants and (B) successful places has been since 1999, broken down by social class.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information has been taken from figures published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) on its website and covers English-domiciled students at UK institutions from 2000 entry onwards. The available data do not allow the identification of individual subjects of study by social class so figures have been given for the relevant subject groups.
	For data relating to the 2002 entry cycle, a new classification for recording social class was introduced, the National Statisticssocio economic classification (NS-SEC). There was also a change in the subject of study classification. As such, figures for 2000 and 2001 entry are not comparable to those from 2002 entry onwards.

University Courses

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of  (a) 18 and  (b) 19-year-olds from Milton Keynes attended university courses in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures on participation in higher education by constituency were published by the Higher Education funding Council for England in January 2005 in Young Participation in England, which is available from their website at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/. This report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19, disaggregated by constituency, for the years 1997 to 2000. The figures for North-East Milton Keynes and Milton Keynes South- West, and the comparable figure for England, are shown in the following table. HEFCE have not produced participation rates beyond 2000.
	
		
			  Young participation rate (YPR (A)) in Higher Education( 1)  for year cohort aged 18 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000 
			 Cohort for North-East Milton Keynes(2) 1,390 1,460 1,470 1,410 
			 Young participation rate (A) for North-East Milton Keynes(3) (percentage) 27 27 27 30 
			 Cohort for Milton Keynes South-West(2) 1,400 1,440 1,520 1,430 
			 Young Participation Rate (A) for Milton Keynes South-West(3) (percentage) 19 19 21 21 
			 Young Participation Rate (A) for England (percentage) 29.2 28.8 29.2 29.9 
			 (1) Covers all students studying higher education courses at UK higher education institutions and other UK institutions, for example further education colleges. (2) Cohorts are reported to the nearest 10. (3) Young participation rates for constituencies are reported to the nearest percent.  Source: Higher Education Funding Council for England. 
		
	
	The total numbers of entrants from North-East Milton Keynes and Milton Keynes South-West for each year since 2001/02 are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Entrants to undergraduate courses( 1) 
			   2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			  North-East Milton Keynes 
			 Aged 18 280 310 315 320 
			 Aged 19 175 165 185 170 
			 Aged over 19(2) 670 705 825 770 
			 Total entrants 1,125 1,180 1,325 1,260 
			  
			  Milton Keynes South-West 
			 Aged 18 210 215 260 270 
			 Aged 19 135 125 140 135 
			 Aged over 19(2) 570 655 800 720 
			 Total entrants 915 1,000 1,195 1,120 
			 (1) Covers all students studying higher education courses at UK higher education institutions only. Students studying higher education courses elsewhere such as further education colleges are excluded. (2) Includes a very small number of students with unknown ages or ages under 18.  Note: Figures are based on the HESA standard registration population for entrants and have been rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The Department uses the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) to assess progress on increasing first-time participation of English students aged 18 to 30 in higher education towards 50 per cent.: the latest provisional figure for 2004/05 is 42 per cent. The HEIPR is not calculated at constituency level.

University Places

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the rate of take-up of university places from prospective students from less affluent families.

Bill Rammell: In the past few years, we have seen a steady widening of participation in higher education. Performance indicators published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that the proportion of students from non-traditional backgrounds has increased across a range of measures. The proportion from low-participation neighbourhoods, for example, rose from 11.4 per cent. to 13.1 per cent. between 1997-98 and 2004-05, the latest year for which figures are available. Performance indicator figures are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Proportion of young entrants to full-time first degrees, at higher education institutions in England, from the lower social classes and from low-participation neighbourhoods 
			   Proportion of entrants to university from 
			   Social classes IIIm, IV and V( 1)  NS-SECs 4, 5, 6 and 7  Low-participation neighbourhoods 
			 1997-98 24.7 (1) 11.4 
			 1998-99 24.9 (1) 11.6 
			 1999-2000 25.1 (1) 11.7 
			 2000-01 25.3 (1) 11.8 
			 2001-02 25.5 (1) 12.4 
			 2002-03 (1) 27.9 12.5 
			 2003-04 (1) 28.2 13.3 
			 2004-05 (1) 27.9 13.1 
			 (1 )Not available.   Note:  The National Statistics socio-economic classification was introduced in 2002-03 to replace the social class groupings. The two classifications are not directly comparable.   Source:  Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA. 
		
	
	These data provide information on the make-up of the student population and not the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who enter higher education. The Department is currently considering the feasibility of providing higher education participation rates by socio-economic class, and a report on this work will be published in 2007.
	According to estimates from the Youth Cohort Study that was conducted in spring 2006, 69 per cent. of 18-year-olds with two or more A-levels from professional family backgrounds (NS-SEC 1, 2) participated in higher education compared with 64 per cent. from non-professional family backgrounds (NS-SEC 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). When prior attainment is taken into account in this way, the chances of participation in higher education are similar whatever the social class or background of prospective students.

DEFENCE

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial year 2005-06 the Defence Estates spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent for each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Expenditure by the Defence Estates Agency in Scotland on personnel costs (including salaries, performance pay/bonuses, overtime, allowances, social security costs and other pension costs) was 5.2 million in 2004-05 and 4.9 million in 2005-06. This represented 5.1 per cent. and 3.4 per cent. respectively of the total personnel costs of the agency. The reduction in staff costs reflects a reorganisation of the agency's structure.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by the Army Personnel Centre; how many are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agency are expected to be in 2006-07; and what they were in 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: The Army Personnel Centre (APC) formally ceased to be a Defence agency on 1 April 2005. There are therefore no details of employees/personnel costs relating to APC for 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Annual Reports: Costs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of  (a) producing,  (b) publishing and  (c) distributing the annual report of (i) the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency, (ii) the British Forces Post Office, (iii) the Defence Analytical Services Agency, (iv) the Defence Bills Agency, (v) the Defence Communications Agency, (vi) Defence Estates, (vii) the Defence Medical Education and Training Agency, (viii) the Defence Procurement Agency, (ix) the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (x) the Defence Transport and Movement Agency, (xi) the Defence Vetting Agency, (xii) the Disposal Services Agency, (xiii) the Duke of York's Military School, (xiv) the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency, (xv) the Pay and Personnel Agency, (xvi) the Service Children's Education Agency, (xvii) the RAF Training Group Defence Agency, (xviii) the Veterans Agency and (xix) the Army Training and Recruitment Agency was in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Those costs that can be identified as specifically attributable to the production, publication and distribution of Agencies' Annual Reports are shown in the following table and are largely related to printing costs. The figures exclude the cost of activities carried out by Agency employees as these are not accounted for separately from their other responsibilities. They also exclude the notional cost incurred by the National Audit Office in auditing the agency accounts.
	
		
			  Agency  Costs () 
			 AFPAA 2,607 
			 BFPO 8,023 
			 DASA 3,887 
			 DBA 16,321 
			 DCSA 5,297 
			 DE 7,816 
			 DMETA 7,990 
			 DPA 3,507 
			 DSDA 11,714 
			 DTMA 2,000 
			 DVA 2,843 
			 DSA 2,640 
			 DYRMS 1,830 
			 MDPGA 6,476 
			 PPPA 2,306 
			 SCE 3,762 
			 VA 3,819 
		
	
	Costs for ATRA have yet to be identified whilst TDGDA costs are not separately identifiable.

Armed Forces Personnel

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Armed Forces personnel have been injured in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq since 11th September 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 4 December 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on7 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 1462-63W, to the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Blunt) which provides figures for both theatres up to 30 September 2006.
	In Afghanistan between 1 October 2006 and15 November 2006:
	5 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK and Coalition medical facilities categorised as Wounded in Action, including as a result of hostile action.
	2 UK personnel were categorised as Very Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
	3 UK personnel were categorised as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
	32 UK personnel were aeromedically evacuated from Afghanistan on medical grounds, whatever the reason.
	The method of reporting admittance to field hospitals in Afghanistan was changed at the end of October 2006, to bring it in line with reporting for Iraq. From 28 October 2006 figures for admittance include disease, whereas beforehand they only included non-battle injuries.
	Between 1 October 2006 and 27 October 2006:
	10 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK and Coalition medical facilities for non-battle injuries.
	Between 28 October 2006 and 15 November 2006:
	46 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK and Coalition medical facilities for disease or non-battle injuries.
	In Iraq between 1 October 2006 and 15 November 2006:
	17 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to the Shaibah Role 3 Facility in Iraq and categorised as Wounded in Action, including as a result of hostile action.
	234 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to the Shaibah Role 3 Facility for Disease or Non-Battle Injuries.
	4 UK personnel were categorised as Very Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
	7 UK military and civilian personnel were categorised as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
	97 UK military and civilian personnel were aeromedically evacuated from Iraq on medical grounds, whatever the reason.

Army Strength

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many personnel make up the difference between total strength and trained strength of the Army; and of what rank those personnel are;
	(2)  what the trained strength is of the Army;
	(3)  how many recruits there had been to the Army in each year to 1 April  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004,  (c) 2005 and  (d) 2006.

Derek Twigg: Figures on the 'Total Strength of the Armed ForcesFull Time Trained and Untrained Personnel' and 'Intake to the Untrained Strength of the UK Regular Forces' can be found in Tri-Service Publication 4 (TSP4). TSP4 is a quarterly publication and copies are available in the Library of the House and can also be found at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp4/tsp4tab1.html
	The most recent publication shows data as at1 October 2006.
	The following table provides the total strength of the Army by full-time trained and untrained personnel, by paid rank, as at 1 October 2006.
	
		
			  Rank  Total  Full-time trained personnel  Untrained personnel 
			  Total Army  111,630  99,570  12,060 
			 
			  Total Officers  15,070  14,210  860 
			 Lieutenant General and above 20 20  
			 Major General 40 40  
			 Brigadier 170 170  
			 Colonel 600 600  
			 Lieutenant Colonel 1,790 1,790  
			 Major 5,010 5,010  
			 Captain 4,580 4,580  
			 Lieutenant 1,780 1,760 20 
			 2nd Lieutenant 270 250 20 
			 Officer Designate 810 - 810 
			 
			  Total Other Ranks  96,570  85,360  11,200 
			 Warrant Officer 1 1,770 1,770  
			 Warrant Officer 2 4,960 4,960  
			 Staff Sergeant 6,250 6,250  
			 Sergeant 10,220 10,220  
			 Corporal 16,250 16,250  
			 Lance Corporal 16,270 16,270  
			 Private 40,850 29,650 11,200 
			  Notes: 1. Full-time personnel includes all UK regular forces, Ghurkhas, FTRS and nursing service personnel. It does not include the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment or mobilised reservists. 2. FTRS strength include Full Commitment (FC), Home Commitment (HC) and Limited Commitment (LC) individuals. FC and LC individuals serve against the requirement whilst HC individuals fill posts specifically for FTRS personnel. 3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and, as such, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 4.  = zero or rounded to zero.

Civilian Personnel

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK civilian personnel have been  (a) wounded and  (b) killed in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan since the commencement of operations.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	Our records show that no UK civilian Government officials have been killed or wounded in Iraq since the commencement of operations. However, a UK contractor working for the Department for International Development was killed in Iraq on 24 May 2004.
	Our records show that no UK civilian Government officials have been killed or wounded in Afghanistan since the commencement of operations.

EU Co-operation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 362W, on EU co-operation, if he will place in the Library a copy of the UK response to the Headline Goal Questionnaire; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Officials have begun work to redact classified information from the UK's response to the Headline Goal Questionnaire. Once this process has been completed a copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House. The response will also be included in the MOD Publication Scheme.

Eurocorps

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 27 January 2005,  Official Report, columns 539-40W, on UK liaison officers with Eurocorps, if he will place in the Library a list of the reports from liaison officers.

Des Browne: We are conducting a search of our archives to ascertain which reports are held on record. Once this process is complete, I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Ex-servicemen: Psychological Rehabilitation

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on psychological rehabilitation of ex-servicemen in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: Information prior to 2000 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. For MOD expenditure from Financial Year 2001-02 onwards I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 933W, to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Willie Rennie).

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of those killed by British forces in Iraq in the last 12 months were  (a) militants and  (b) civilians.

Des Browne: holding answer 18 December 2006
	There is no reliable means of ascertaining the numbers of combatants or non-combatants killed by British Forces in Iraq, but the UK makes every effort to minimise the impact of military action on the Iraqi population.

NHS Treatment: War Pensioners

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment is of the level of communications between NHS trusts and clinicians on war pensioners' entitlement to priority NHS treatment.

Derek Twigg: War pensioners, including recipients of awards under the armed forces compensation scheme, are entitled to NHS priority examination and treatment for conditions accepted as due to service. Priority is primarily a function of clinical need and is determined by the clinician in charge, subject only to emergency and other urgent cases.
	Regular reminders about priority treatment for war pensioners are circulated by the health services to senior NHS managers who are tasked to ensure that relevant clinical staff are aware.
	The Ministry of Defence and its Veterans Agency receive feedback from individual war pensioners and ex-service organisations on the delivery of priority treatment. Where necessary, the Department takes up individual cases with the relevant health authority.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are times when Trident submarines are deployed with fewer than 48 warheads; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: As set out in the White Paper, The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006, normally, only one Trident submarine is on deterrent patrol at any one time, with up to 48 warheads on board (Box 2-1). I am withholding further information as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the defence of the United Kingdom.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Trident submarines are routinely loaded with their full complement of 16 missiles; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Trident submarine on patrol can carry up to 16 missiles but normally carries fewer. I am withholding further information as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the defence of the United Kingdom.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those consulted on the estimate of procurement timeframe for the programme to build new Vanguard-Class ballistic missile submarines; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Officials have discussed submarine build programme timeframes with representatives from industry, primarily from BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and Devonport Management Ltd. As was noted in paragraph 1-7 of the White Paper (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006, we have also taken account of the US and French experiences in this area.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why the planned service lives of HMS  (a) Trafalgar,  (b) Turbulent,  (c) Tireless,  (d) Talent and  (e) Triumph were extended; and why the planned service lives of HMS (i) Torbay and (ii) Trenchant were reduced.

Des Browne: The White Paper, Delivering Security in a Changing World, Future Capabilities, published in July 2004, explained that our requirement for nuclear attack submarines could be met by a fleet of eight boats from 2008 onwards. The planned service lives of both the Swiftsure and Trafalgar-class submarines have been adjusted accordingly, taking into account their material state and scheduled maintenance programmes, as well as the expected in-service dates of the new Astute class submarines.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the construction and operation of a facility to fabricate the fuel rods for four replacement ballistic missile submarines; and what the projected cost is of these plans.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence is considering options for future fabrication of submarine reactor cores, including construction of a new facility or update of the existing facility. I am withholding the estimated cost of any investment in the facility, operation of the facility and manufacture of reactor cores for replacement ballistic missile submarines on the grounds that disclosure may prejudice contract negotiations with industry.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the replacement ballistic missile submarines will use the PWR2 reactor.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence is considering a range of options to provide nuclear power for a replacement ballistic missile submarine, including PWR2.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected costs are of  (a) submarines,  (b) tactical weapon systems and  (c) strategic weapons systems' equipment for replacement ballistic missile submarines on the basis of a fleet of four submarines.

Des Browne: The initial cost estimates set out at paragraph 5-11 of the White Paper (Cm 6994) on the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent, which was published on 4 December 2006, include the potential costs of all of these elements. At this very early stage of the procurement process, we are not in a position to break these estimates down in the way requested.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected costs are of  (a) missiles and  (b) strategic weapons systems equipment for a successor missile system to Trident on the basis of a fleet of four submarines.

Des Browne: I have nothing further to add to paragraphs 5-11 of the White Paper (Cm 6994) on the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent, which was published on 4 December 2006.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the United Kingdom's Negative Security Assurance to non-nuclear weapons states applies in relation to the circumstances in which the United Kingdom might use its nuclear weapons; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The United Kingdom remains fully committed to the security assurances given to non-nuclear weapon states in our letter of 6 April 1995 to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and noted in Security Council Resolution 984 of that year. The UK also stands by the security assurances we have given in the Protocols we have ratified to Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaties.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for ensuring an adequate supply of tritium to maintain the UK's nuclear weapons' capability until 2055; and what the projected cost is of these plans.

Des Browne: As stated in paragraph 7-4 of the White Paper (Cm 6994), we will be undertaking a detailed review of the life of the existing warhead stockpile, and a decision on whether to replace or refurbish the warhead is likely to be necessary in the next Parliament. This will include reviewing supplies of Tritium. The outcome of this work will not be available for some time. The possible costs in this area are included in the estimated costs set out at paragraph 5-11 of the White Paper. At this very early stage of the procurement process, we are not in a position to break these estimates down in the way requested.

UK Armed Forces Veterans Lapel Badge

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he estimates the eligibility for the UK Armed Forces Veterans Lapel Badge will be extended beyond 31 December 1969.

Derek Twigg: I intend that every veteran should be able to apply for the HM Armed Forces Veteran's Badge at the earliest opportunity. The recent announcement on 8 November 2006 that eligibility had been extended to 1969 was the latest in a challenging programme of such extensions. Our plans are kept under review and further extensions will be announced as soon as practicable, based on the capability of the Veterans Agency to meet the forecast demand.

UK Nuclear Weapons Capability

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of  (a) the projected total cost of maintaining the UK's nuclear weapons capability and  (b) the costs of (i) procurement, (ii) the atomic weapons establishment and (iii) running costs from 2007 to 2055.

Des Browne: Our initial estimates of the future costs (including the procurement costs) involved in sustaining our independent nuclear deterrent capability were set out in paragraphs 5-11 to 5-14 of the White Paper: 'The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent', published on 4 December.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to enable Royal Navy ships placed in extended readiness to be capable of rejoining the fleet if required; which ships are being held in this state; and how quickly each could be brought to operational status.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 December 2006
	HMS Invincible is the only vessel currently defined as being in extended readiness. She is in a very low state of readiness and it would take approximately 18 months to return her to the fleet. HMS Invincible is capable of being regenerated but there is no requirement to do so at this time.
	There are an additional five ships at a low readiness state that would take in excess of 180 days to be made operational.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Companies: Investigations

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which companies his Department is investigating; what types of investigation each case involves; and when each investigation is expected to report.

Alistair Darling: holding answer 5 December 2006
	Companies Investigation Branch, part of the Insolvency Service, an executive agency of the DTI, investigates companies using powers in the Companies Act 1985. The vast majority of these investigations are conducted using the power under section 447, are confidential and are completed in about three months. The investigations are not announced and the results cannot be published. The detailed work of the Companies Investigation Branch is reported to Parliament as part of the Companies Annual Report, the most recent report was printed on 9 October 2006 and a copy is available from the Libraries of the House.

Consultants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the policy advisers listed on page 219 of his Department's annual report are consultants; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The figures provided by AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC, NERC and PPARC under the 'Policy Advisers' heading on page 219 of the DTI's 2006 departmental report do not include any consultancy costs. The figures provided relate to staff employed directly by these research councils using the DTI definition of 'Policy Advisers' as relating 'to the costs of staff formulating policy/strategy including Board Members, Chief Executives, senior staff etc'.
	ESRC has historically used different definition for 'Policy Advisers' and the figures presented on page 219 for ESRC include consultancies in addition to board and council member costs. The 2004-05 figure under the 'Policy Advisers' heading for ESRC includes expenditure of 130,645 on consultants.
	All expenditure under the 'Policy Advisors' heading on page 219 for CCLRC relates to expenditure on consultancy.

Departmental Expenditure

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the purpose was of the expenditure in relation to  (a) Gambia and  (b) Dornier aircraft referred to in table B4 of his Department's annual report; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The expenditure related to the following Research Council's capital projects:
	 (a) Gambiaa redevelopment project by the Medical Research Council (MRC) to renew laboratory and clinical facilities at the Fajara site of the main MRC Laboratories.
	 (b) Dornier aircraftthe purchase by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) of a research aircraft for earth observation work. This will ensure unbroken and long-term access to a suitable aircraft.

Departmental Expenditure

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the purpose was of the  (a) smart metering,  (b) microgeneration,  (c) power train,  (d) European Home Leisure Accident Surveillance Survey,  (e) national minimum wage and EC directives,  (f) external legal fees and  (g) Cambridge/Massachusetts Institute of Technology expenditure itemised in annex B1 of his Department's annual report.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is as follows.
	 Smart Metering
	The provision represents funding to help co-finance with energy companies an energy demand reduction pilot, focusing on smart meters and associated feedback devices.
	 Microgeneration
	The provision represents part of the additional funding of 50 million, announced in the Budget 2006, for the Low-Carbon Buildings Programme. This will fund capital grants to help fund the installation of microgeneration technologies in a range of buildings including schools, social and local authority housing, businesses and public buildings.
	 Power Train
	Power Train was the engine-making part of MG Rover, which went into administration with the rest of the MG Rover Group in April 2005. The Department made two loans, totalling 6,500,000, to the administrators in April 2005 to provide working capital during the first week of the administration process. The total provisions shown in the departmental report cover the two loans as well as the Department's contribution of 2,683,000 to the Rover Task Force, which had been set up in 1991.
	 European Home Leisure Accident Surveillance Survey (EHLASS)
	The Department expected to receive minor sums of income from several EU projects, and a forecast was therefore included in the 2005-06 plans, with EHLASS quoted as an example of a project that had generated income in the past. In the outturns, no income was received in relation to EHLASS, but 300,000 was received from the EU for a conference on Corporate Social Responsibility and for the Gender Equality programme of the UK presidency.
	 National minimum wage and EC directives
	Expenditure was to ensure that employers and those in work, particularly vulnerable workers, were aware of their responsibilities and rights under both UK and EC legislation. It was also to ensure that where necessary there was appropriate enforcement bodies in place to enforce them.
	 External legal fees
	The expenditure is in connection with a variety of external legal fees including payments to Treasury Solicitors and costs incurred in connection with the Department's criminal prosecution functions including prosecution counsel and agent solicitors' fees, and expenses incurred by prosecution witnesses.
	 Cambridge/Massachusetts Institute of Technology (CMI)
	CMI brings together the University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop a global model of collaboration. Its work has covered four main programme areas: integrated researchfocusing on areas that will have a major impact on the future evolution of technology; undergraduate exchangesbringing about cultural change through student and staff exchanges; Professional Practiceadapting the Massachusetts Institute of Technology model for partnership with industry; and National Competitiveness Networklinks CMI with UK universities and industry.
	DTI has taken the position that CMI will not receive any additional directly allocated government funding and that any further government funding it receives must be gained through open competition.

Departmental Expenditure

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what purpose the expenditure in Uganda referred to in table B4 of his Department's annual report was made.

Malcolm Wicks: The expenditure related to a Medical Research Council (MRC) capital project.
	It was for the renewal of laboratory facilities at the main Entebbe site of the MRC/Uganda Virus Research Unit in Uganda.

Fuel Poverty

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of people living in fuel poverty in England in each of the last five years.

Alistair Darling: holding answer 18 December 2006
	Figures for the number of households in fuel poverty in England are produced from analysis of the English House Condition Survey. From 2003, the survey is being carried out on a continuous rolling basis. Prior to 2001, however, this survey was conducted on a five-yearly basis. Hence, the number of households in fuel poverty is not available for all of the last five years. The figures for 2001, 2003 and 2004 are available. These statistics are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  million 
			   Total number of: 
			   Households in fuel poverty  Vulnerable households in fuel poverty 
			 2001 1.7 1 4 
			 2003 1 2 1 0 
			 2004 1 2 1 0 
		
	
	Fuel poverty statistics for the United Kingdom are published in the UK Fuel Poverty Annual Progress Report.

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent by his Department on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following expenditure was incurred by the Department from September 2002 to purchase new-style desking and chairs from British suppliers. There was no significant investment made before that date.
	
		
			  Date  Cost including VAT () 
			 September 2002 to 31 March 2003 1,964,654.60 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 120,354.59 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 126,212.46 
			 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 188,739.23 
			 1 April 2006 to date 46,697.31 
		
	
	This programme was part of a programme to improve space utilisation, which has helped to reduce the central London estate from eight buildings to three.

Industrial Injuries: Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims registered by  (a) Beresfords and  (b) AMS Law for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease where no postcode was provided have (i) been settled, (ii) resulted in no additional action since their registration and (iii) been dropped by the solicitor.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 18 December 2006
	The answers to parts (i) and (iii) are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Beresfords  AMS Law 
			 Claims registered (no postcode) 1,351 586 
			 Total settled 518 392 
			 Settled by payment 332 37 
			 Settled by denial/withdrawal 186 355 
		
	
	Out of the claims registered (no postcode) there are 833 claims for Beresfords and 194 claims for AMS Law that are at various stages of the scheme.

Industrial Injuries: Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates  (a) AMS Law and  (b) Moss Solicitors met with his Department in (i) 1998 and (ii) 1999 to discuss the UDM and Vendside claims handling agreements.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 18 December 2006
	Based on available records I understand that meetings took place on 14 December 1998 and on 2 November 1999.

International Subscriptions: Non-proliferation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent on the International Subscriptions (non-proliferation), broken down by main budget heading.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK is a member of two international non-proliferation organisations to which it is required to make subscription paymentsthe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Both of these organisations request that subscription payments are made in foreign currencies, and the Pounds Sterling figures provided in the table are based on exchange rates at the time of payment.
	The UK is obliged to pay an annual contribution to the IAEA Regular Budget, which pays for most of the IAEA's work and the running of the Agency itself, and is expected to make a payment to the Technical Cooperation Fund, which pays for the IAEA's development programmes in less developed countries.
	The UK's contributions to the Regular Budget and Technical Cooperation Fund for 2006 are as follows:
	
		
			  UK contributions  
			 Regular Budget 10,994,536 (payments of $3,483,058 and 13,095,414) 
			 Technical Cooperation Fund 2,656,536 (payment of $4,581,025) 
		
	
	The UK is obliged to make an annual contribution to the OPCW Programme and Budget, which pays for the OPCW's work and the running of the Organisation itself. The UK's contribution to the Programme and Budget for 2006 was 2,722,408 (payment of 3,972,579).
	In addition, the UK makes extra payments each year in support of the work of the IAEA and OPCW. This includes support to the IAEA Safeguards Support Programme which totalled 1.3 million in the 2005-06 financial year.

Internet Providers

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to secure stricter performance and service-quality targets from internet service companies providing a migration access code for those customers wishing to change internet providers.

Margaret Hodge: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the Houses.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Government has spent on nanotechnology research in the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: Because an understanding of the physics and chemistry of matter and processes at the nanoscale is relevant to all scientific disciplines, a wide variety of research activities could be deemed to embrace nanoscience and nanotechnologies to some extent. Thus it is not possible to accurately identify all Government funding in this area in the last five years. But to date funding of around 13 million has been allocated for research to address the potential risks posed by engineered nanoscale materials and the social and economic implications of nanotechnologies. To help industry maximise the potential benefits of nanotechnologies, between 2001 and 2006 this Department committed at least 49 million on applied research projects that are relevant to industry and 45 million on support for research infrastructure. The Research Councils have provided substantial funding for nanoscience and nanotechnology. For example, they provided 19.8 million for an Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration on Nanotechnology to operate between 2002 and 2007 and between 2001 and 2005 relevant expenditure by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council alone amounted to over 160 million in research grants with additional support for around 200 new PhD studentships.

Nuclear Power Stations

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether procedures for informing his Department of reductions in generating capacity at UK nuclear power stations differ according to the  (a) ownership and  (b) other factors affecting the status of power stations; and what the procedure is relating to those owned and operated by British Energy.

Malcolm Wicks: Grid Code obligations require Generators to notify National Grid about useable output on a regular basis. This includes the nuclear stations owned by BE. This information regarding individual power stations is provided to National Grid on a confidential basis. National Grid keeps the Department updated on overall available margin on a regular basis. In addition, aggregated data of total output useable and available margin is published by National Grid on every working day.
	As part of the restructuring of British Energy, DTI receives all such information that it needs to monitor the financial viability of the company: this includes relevant information on operational matters. As a listed company BE would alert the market to any material issues affecting its financial position.

Post Offices

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices in each London borough are planned to be closed under the most recent reorganisation proposals.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government's proposals for the Post Office network are the subject of a public consultation which runs until 8 March 2007.
	Following the Government response to the national consultation, Post Office Ltd will draw up local area implementation plans within the framework of our final decision. Post Office Ltd will, after discussion with sub-postmasters, Postwatch and Members of Parliament, consult publicly for six weeks providing the opportunity for local representations and suggestions.
	Decisions will then be a matter for the company on how best to restructure the network ensuring that no one part of the network or no particular group of people is significantly more adversely affected than any other.

Post Offices

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of towns with a population of 15,000 or more has no post office.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I understand that Post Office Ltd. (POL) does not hold this type of information, because it is not required for operational purposes.
	The classification of a post office branch as urban or rural is an operational matter for POL. The company has for several years classified rural post offices on the basis of a Countryside Agency definition of a rural settlement as one with less than 10,000 inhabitants. POL considers urban areas to be those areas with an aggregated population exceeding 10,000. In urban areas over 99 per cent. of the population still live within one mile of their nearest post office.

Public Bodies

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding his Department gave to the  (a) Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies,  (b) Carbon Trust,  (c) Energy Saving Trust and  (d) Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board in each of the last five years; and how much has been provided to each body in 2006-07.

Alistair Darling: holding answer 4 December 2006
	Both the Carbon Trust and Energy Saving Trust have been allocated funds, and the details are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   million 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 The Carbon Trust 9.7 
			 Energy Saving Trust 1.5 3.3 5. 8 8.4 8.0 
		
	
	Payments made to the Energy Saving Trust include those for capital grant claims and the management fees associated with the solar pv major demonstration and low-carbon building programmes.
	Payments made to The Carbon Trust include those for the energy efficiency loan scheme and the low- carbon building programme.
	We made no payments to either the Carbon Trust or Energy Saving Trust prior to 2002-03.
	The Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies (ACCAT) was constituted in November 2003. It provides strategic advice on the activities of the Carbon Abatement Technologies programme. It does not allocate or administer any funds.
	The Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board (SEPAB) was formed in December 2003. It is an advisory board and does not allocate or administer any funds.

RDAs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria  (a) the North West Regional Development Agency and  (b) other regional development agencies use (i) to assess their general progress and (ii) to measure the effectiveness of the grants they make.

Margaret Hodge: All the Regional Development Agencies are required to prepare and publish Corporate Plans with a three-year planning horizon, to synchronise planning and funding with the Spending Review process. These plans are revised every two years. The current Corporate Plans cover the period 2005-08. The Corporate Plan outlines how each RDA will deploy resources to meet the objectives and targets set in the Plan. Progress made in delivering against Corporate Plan commitments is then monitored by the RDA Board and reported publicly every six months on each RDA's website. A report on progress made in delivering against the Tasking Framework core output targets set in Corporate Plans is laid in the House every six months.
	Each RDA is required to appraise grant requests in line with the Single Programme Appraisal Guidance, which incorporates HM Treasury's The Green Book-Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government. The Guidance requires the RDA to measure the effectiveness of each grant made. The contract between the RDA and the applicant should include provision for effective monitoring of delivery and evaluation of the results. It should focus on the critical success factors, which were identified at the appraisal stage, and its conclusions should assess whether these were met and the outcomes and outputs delivered. Normally evaluation will occur at a period after project closure when the impact can be assessed, usually six months after closure.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-East (Mr. McFadden), to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden) of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the Senior Civil Service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department's retirement age for staff below the Senior Civil Service is 65; this policy was introduced in 2002. In addition, since 1 October 2006, all staff have had the right to request to work beyond the age of 65.
	The Department has decided to retain the default retirement age of 65 in the short term. This will be reviewed at the beginning of 2008 ahead of the wider review of the default retirement age in 2011.

Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises through the Small Firms Loan Guarantee scheme in each region in 2005-06.

Margaret Hodge: Expenditure on the Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG) occurs when a borrower defaults and the participating lender affected makes a 'Demand' against the Government guarantee.
	In the 10 years from 1995-96 the total number of loans guaranteed under the scheme were 63,366 with a value of over 3 billion. In year 2005-06 there were 2,131 demands with a total value of 78.262 million arising from loans guaranteed over the previous 10 years. In the same year 5,957 new loans with a value of 422 million were guaranteed.
	The regional demand figures for 2005-06 were as follows:
	
		
			   Number of demands  Value of demands () 
			 East Midlands 160 4.958 million 
			 East of England 213 8.759 million 
			 Greater London 227 9.424 million 
			 North East 61 1.733 million 
			 North West 218 8.290 million 
			 Northern Ireland 12 661,000 
			 Scotland 250 8.773 million 
			 South East 319 12.769 million 
			 South West 225 8.178 million 
			 Wales 112 3.440 million 
			 West Midlands 202 6.357 million 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 132 4.920 million 
		
	
	The hon. Gentleman should be aware that the figures refer to demands settled in 2004-05. Demand can be made against the guarantee at any point during the term of the loan, which may be up to 10 years. Therefore the payments made in 2004-05 relate to loans guaranteed over the preceding 10 years, but principally in the preceding three years.
	Default rates experienced in SFLG have fallen from a peak in 1991, and the changes to the administration of the scheme introduced in December 2005 following the Graham Review are intended to ensure that this trend continues.

Smart Metering

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions the Government have had with stakeholders on smart metering systems.

Alistair Darling: My officials have held two seminars with stakeholders as part of the Energy Review Consultation process on metering and billing. In addition, officials have held a number of meetings with suppliers and meter manufacturers.

Telephone Service Providers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that those most vulnerable at-risk service users registered with telephone service providers have faults dealt with within four hours; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the Houses.

Trade Policy

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether UK Trade and Investment staff overseas have a role in the formulation of trade policy; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Darling: UKTI staff overseas contribute to the formulation of trade policy in a number of ways:
	by obtaining evidence from UK business overseas on issues and barriers in different markets;
	by feeding in business views and their knowledge of overseas markets to support the Department of Trade and Industry in developing the UK's position on trade negotiations and trade policy more generally;
	where appropriate, by supporting ministerial bilateral engagement with governments to improve the business environment for British companies.

Union Modernisation Fund

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will review the  (a) value for money and  (b) efficacy of the grants given to (i) Amicus, (ii) the Communications Workers Union, (iii) Prospect, (iv) the GMB, (v) the Wales TUC, (vi) Community, (vii) the Transport and General Workers Union, (viii) Connect and (ix) the National Union of Teachers under the Union Modernisation Fund in March 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Darling: An independent supervisory board assessed all applications against the Union Modernisation Fund criteria. The bids were assessed to ensure that they fell within the scope of the fund; to ensure that they had been realistically costed and offered value for money; and had suitable project management arrangements in place for effective delivery of the project.
	Arrangements are in place to evaluate expenditure under the fund.

Unions 21

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 811W, on Unions 21, on what dates and for what purpose public money has been paid to Unions 21 since 1999.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A total of 19,915 was paid to Unions 21 for a project under the DTI's Strategic Partnership Fund in March 2006.
	80 was paid to Unions 21 in March 2003 for attendance at a conference.

Work-life Balance

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of  (a) the effect of care responsibilities on the work-life balance for employees and  (b) the merits of introducing employer-supported adult care voucher schemes.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) The Department has commissioned a number of surveys that may be used to estimate the effect of care responsibilities on the work-life balance of employees. The most recent surveys have been the Second Flexible Working Employee Survey published in 2005 and Third Work-Life Balance Employees Survey, the executive summary for which was published in autumn 2006, with the full survey report due for publication in early 2007. These survey results are published in the Department's Employment Relations Research Series and are available on the DTI website.
	 (b) I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1541W.

HEALTH

Alcohol Screening

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals in England routinely screen for alcohol intake patients admitted to the hospital.

Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on representations to the European Union in relation to mandatory labelling listing all ingredients in alcoholic drinks; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: In response to a European Commission consultation on food labelling earlier this year, the Government supported in principle ingredient listing for all alcoholic drinks. They did, however, recognise that there would be difficulties in the detailed application that would need to be fully worked through to ensure that requirements are kept simple and proportionate.
	This line was informed by an extensive public consultation, and was cleared across Government by the European Policy Committee, whose members include the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Alexander Litvinenko

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Health Protection Agency was first  (a) notified of and  (b) asked to assist in the investigation into the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.

Caroline Flint: We have been advised by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) that an HPA officer was contacted by the police and asked to attend a meeting on the morning of 22 November regarding the circumstances of Mr. Litvinenko's illness. The officer then attended a meeting of forensic experts during the afternoon of the 22 November. Following this meeting the HPA commenced its investigation.

Calorie Intakes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average daily calorific intake of a  (a) male and  (b) female (i) aged 11 and under, (ii) aged 12 to 17 and (iii) aged 18 and over in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The most recent information available on the average daily energy (calorie) intake of males and females is shown in the table. This is taken from the 1997 national diet and nutrition survey of young people aged 4-18 years and the 2000-01 national diet and nutrition survey of adults aged 19-64 years.
	
		
			  Average daily energy intake (kcal) by sex and age 
			   Energy intake (kcal/day) 
			  Age (years)  Male  Female 
			 4-6(1) 1,520 1,397 
			 7-10(1) 1,777 1,598 
			 11-14(1) 1,968 1,672 
			 15-18(1) 2,285 1,622 
			 19-64(2) 2,313 1,632 
			 (1) Data from Gregory J, Lowe S, Bates CJ, Prentice A, Jackson LV, Smithers G, Wenlock R and Farron M. National Diet and Nutrition Survey: young people aged 4 to 18 years. Volume 1: Report of the diet and nutrition survey. TSO (London: 2000). (2)Data from Henderson L, Gregory J, Irving K and Swan G. National Diet and Nutrition Survey: adults aged 19 to 64 years. Volume 2: Energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat and alcohol intake. TSO (London: 2003). 
		
	
	There are no data available on an annual basis. This lack of trend data was the major driver behind the Food Standards Agency's decision to set up a new rolling programme of national diet and nutrition surveys. The rolling programme will cover all ages from one and a half years upwards and will provide more frequent data for children and adults, so strengthening the ability to track changes over time. The first results from the rolling programme should be available in 2009.

Carers

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made in the health effects of care responsibilities; what assessment she has made of the merits of an employer-supported care voucher scheme to help alleviate such potential effects; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Government recognise that caring can affect a person's health and introduced the carers grant in 1999 to support councils in providing breaks and services for carers in England. The grant has been increased annually and has provided an extra 35 million since 1999.
	The Department has not specifically assessed the merits of an employer-supported voucher scheme. We are considering a range of options around the future of social care provision. In assessing proposals, as part of the long-term vision of the 2007 comprehensive spending review (CSR), the Government will consider whether they are affordable, whether they are consistent with progressive universalism and whether they promote independence, dignity, well-being and control in line with 'Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People', the White Paper 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say' and the national service framework for older people.

Child Vaccinations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost has been of bonus payments to GPs for child vaccinations in each of the last five years; and how many children have received such vaccinations.

Caroline Flint: The total payments made under the target payments scheme to general practitioners for childhood vaccination are shown in the following table.
	
		
			
			 2001-02 70,003,000 
			 2002-03 59,974,000 
			 2003-04 47,190,000 
			 2004-05 82,491,000 
			 2005-06 81,986,000 
		
	
	The figures for 2001-02 are taken from annual financial returns from health authorities; the figures for the 2002-03 are taken from a combination of annual financial returns from primary care trusts and from strategic health authorities; and the figures for 2003-04 onwards are taken from annual financial returns from PCT.
	Information on the uptake of childhood immunisations is published annually by the information centre for health and social care and is available at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/immstats2005to2006/immunexcel/file
	A copy has been placed in the Library.

Community Matron Scheme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the effect on hospital bed usage has been of the introduction of the community matron scheme.

Rosie Winterton: Information about community matrons' impact on emergency bed days is not collected centrally. Primary care trusts are encouraged to develop their own systems for identifying the impact of community matrons on improved patient care and emergency bed days.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the Government have made in developing a framework for complementary and alternative medicine delivery.

Caroline Flint: Decisions about referrals to any kind of treatment, whether it is orthodox, complementary or alternative medicine, should be made by local national health service providers and practitioners taking into account the safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of any treatment as well as the availability of properly qualified and competent practitioners. Practice based commissioning enables the delegation of indicative budgets to practices for the commissioning of services, which best meet, the needs of patients including complementary and alternative health therapies.
	With regards to the regulation of complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, osteopaths and chiropractic practitioners are currently regulated and the Department is now looking at the regulation of herbal medicine practitioners and acupuncturists.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when she will reply to the letter of23 October relating to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence from the hon. Member for Walsall, North;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006, in respect of a reply to the hon. Member for Walsall North's letter of 23 October 2006 on the Alzheimer's Society, when a substantive reply will be sent.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 27 November 2006 and 18 December 2006
	A reply was sent on14 December 2006.

Dairy Industry

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to tackle food safety issues in the dairy industry; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: In October, the Food Standards Agency, which is the responsible central authority in the UK for food safety matters, wrote to local authorities and the dairy industry to emphasise the importance of properly applying and enforcing food hygiene legislation in the dairy sector. The letters also drew attention to a number of points which had arisen during audits conducted earlier this year by the Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission of the UK's implementation of new European Union food hygiene rules in the dairy sector. These points included a revised approach to the testing for the presence of antibiotic residues in milk.
	Copies of the relevant letters have been placed in the Library.

Dentistry

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists operating within the City of Canterbury carry out work for the NHS; and how many did so prior to the new contract being introduced.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is only available at primary care trust (PCT) level. The numbers of dentists on open national health service contracts in Canterbury and Coastal PCT as at 31 March 2006 and 30 September 2006 are provided in the table.
	
		
			   Canterbury and Coastal PCT 
			 31 March 2006 88 
			 30 September 2006 68 
			  Notes:  1. Information as at 30 September 2006 is based on the new NHS dental contractual( )arrangements between providers and PCTs which was introduced on 1 April 2006.( )Data prior to this are based on the old dental contractual arrangements between( )principal dentists and PCTs and therefore, are not directly comparable.  2. Most NHS dentists do some private work. Figures provided do not take into account( )the proportion of NHS work undertaken by dentists.  3. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending on the( )date the figures are compiled. This is because the NHS BSA may be notified of( )joiners or leavers up to several months, or more, after the move has taken place.  4. Further information is available in reports published by The Information Centre for( )health and social care:  Information for quarter 2, September 2006 is available at:( )http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/nhsdenta2  Historical information (old contract) is available at:( )http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity.  Sources:  The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority. 
		
	
	PCTs are using the funding associated with rejected contracts to commission additional services from other dentists. Canterbury and Coastal PCT had by September 2006 already recommissioned 33,640 units of dental activity (UDAs), which equates to 100 per cent. of all activity associated with rejected contracts in the PCT area.

Diet

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards the Government's target of reducing the average dietary salt intake by 6 g by 2010.

Caroline Flint: The Department and Food Standards Agency (FSA) have been working with the food industry since 2003 to secure voluntary reductions in the amount of salt in a wide range of processed foods. Commitments from 70 organisations across all sectors of the UK food industry are published at www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/spreadsheets/saltcommitmentsum.xls. In March of this year the FSA also published salt reduction targets for 85 categories of processed foods that contribute most of consumers' salt intakes. These targets would be met by 2010 and will be reviewed in 2008 to ensure progress continues to be made towards achieving the 6 g maximum recommended salt intake.
	We will have further information about progress towards the Government's dietary intake target when the results of United Kingdom wide surveys of urinary analysis, carried out earlier this year are available. Publication of the survey results is planned for 2007.

Directed Enhanced Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure on  (a) implementation and  (b) reward payments for directed enhanced services has been since they were instituted.

Caroline Flint: Expenditure on directed enhanced services for the first two years of the arrangements is set out in the following table. The only data collected centrally are on total expenditure.
	
		
			  Directed enhanced services 
			  000 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			 Improved access scheme 50,350 51,181 
			 Quality information preparation scheme 27,642 n/a 
			 Childhood vaccination and immunisation scheme 82,491 81,986 
			 Influenza and pneumococcal immunisations 66,693 81,192 
			 Services for violent patients 2,770 3,347 
			 Minor surgery 52,804 56,533 
			  Source: Annual financial returns for primary care trusts 2004-05 and 2005-06

Drug Misuse

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the extent of the misuse of  (a) anabolic steroids and  (b) pseudophendrine; and what assessment she has made of the impact of the use of each on public health.

Caroline Flint: This information is not collected centrally.

Drug Misuse

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to educate young people on the misuse of anabolic steroids and pseudophendrine.

Caroline Flint: The Department provides information on a range of substances including anabolic steroids, particularly highlighting the risks of their use, in publications such as Dangerousness of Drugsa Guide to the Risks and Harms Associated with Substance Misuse, 2003. In addition, the FRANK campaign, which is a joint initiative from Department and the Home Office and supported by the Department for Education and Skills, aims to inform young people and their parents, carers and families about the effects and risks of taking illicit drugs, including anabolic steroids and amphetamines. FRANK also gives people advice, support and provides details of appropriate drug services.
	The Department has no current plans to educate young people on the misuse of pseudophendrine in its own right. However, pseudophendrine is listed as a controlled precursor under European legislation, is a precursor of methylamphetamine and is used in its illicit and licit manufacture. The risks and harms associated with the use of methylamphetamine, commonly known by its street name of crystal meth, are also included in Dangerousness of Drugs and included on FRANK.

Fit for the Future

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  who the author was of Fit for the Future produced by Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority;
	(2)  what terms of reference were given to the authors of Fit for the Future by Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority; how much the document cost to produce; and how many copies were produced and distributed.

Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally.

Food Imports

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inspectors are employed by her Department to inspect food entering the UK from abroad.

Caroline Flint: The requirement for employing inspectors at seaports and airports rests with local authorities who are responsible for port health work and who are obliged by law to employ appropriate personnel to conduct checks. The number of inspectors is determined by the local authorities, and their numbers are not held centrally.

Food Safety

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations the Food Standards Agency has received following its notification on 21 November to interested parties that the European Commission is not intending to extend the deadline for the use of ingredients under Commission Directive 2004/6/EC until such time as the European Food Safety Authority has completed its consideration of the dossiers submitted in relation to those ingredients; what assessment she has made of the impact of the Commission's decision on the specialist food products sector; whether she plans to make representations to the European Commission in relation to the decision; which ingredients are affected by the decision; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has received two representations, from the Health Food Manufacturers' Association and a consultant. These responses noted that some foods for particular nutritional uses on the United Kingdom market may contain substances listed in Commission Directive 2004/6/EC. The FSA will consider if further action is appropriate when it receives more detailed information requested from the relevant manufacturers about the number and types of foods affected.

Food Supplements

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to make representations to the European Commission  (a) to set the highest possible safe levels for nutrients and  (b) to amend the Food Supplements Directive so as to allow the UK to permit onto its market safe and popular products that lie outside the provisions of the directive; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The United Kingdom Government have responded to the European Commission's discussion document on setting levels of vitamins and minerals in foodstuffs and Food Standard Agency (FSA) officials met with the Commission to discuss this further on 8 November.
	The Commission welcomed the UK response and indicated that the work by the UK's expert group on vitamins and minerals on setting safe upper levels for on a scientific basis would be a key factor in developing proposals. A timeline for developing proposals has not yet been agreed by the Commission. Working Group discussions between member states may begin in late spring with proposals not expected to be brought forward before the end of 2007.
	We will continue to explore with the Commission potential flexibility in the system to minimise the impact of the directive on consumer choice with respect to products that lie outside of the provisions of the directive. The FSA is considering what policy options are available.

General Practitioners

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding she plans to make available to GPs to respond to patients' requests for surgeries outside office hours.

Caroline Flint: None. Funding for the provision and development of primary medical care services is held and managed locally by primary care trusts (PCTs). It is for PCTs to use these funds and their new contracting flexibilities to introduce more flexible opening hours where there is evidence (for example for the new 'GP Patient SurveyYour Doctor, Your Experience, Your Say') that this is a priority among local patients.

Health Direct

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services will be offered by the organisation Health Direct; and when it will begin offering services to the public.

Caroline Flint: Health Direct will offer a comprehensive range of interactive health improvement resources via the internet, mobile phone (SMS text), and potentially also via interactive digital TV and digital TV text services. The service will deliver national health service-accredited information and resources, including an online personal health assessment and supporting SMS and email services, to help individuals improve their health. Health Direct will support the delivery of the obesity, smoking, sexual health, mental health, excessive drinking and health inequalities public service agreement targets.
	Health Direct will be launched on a six-month pilot basis in an early adopter community, primary care trust/local authority, in October 2007 where the service will be tested among the public and health professionals. This will be followed by a national launch by end of 2008-09.

Health Promotion

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of health promotion initiatives since the abolition of the Health Development Agency in 2005.

Caroline Flint: The functions of the former Health Development Agency were transferred into the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on 1 April 2005. Since the abolition of the Health Development Agency in 2005, NICE has published public health guidance on the effectiveness of health promotion initiatives on smoking cessation and on physical activity. NICE guidance on the effectiveness of obesity interventions was published on 13 December 2006.

Healthy Living Centres

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the aim is of the network of healthy living centres; what the costs of the centres were in 2005-06; and what analysis she has undertaken of their effectiveness.

Caroline Flint: The healthy living centre (HLC) programme was set up to promote health and well-being, to reduce health inequalities and to the improve the health of the most disadvantaged people.
	HLCs were funded by a 300 million Big Lottery Fund (Big) programme with substantial associated local funding. In total 257 HLC awards were made by Big in England (352 in the UK). Of this, in 2005-06, 35.4 million was disbursed by Big to HLCs in England (47.5 million over the UK). Big Lottery Funding to HLCs will end over the next two years.
	The Department and the Big Lottery Fund each commissioned the Tavistock Institute to lead evaluations of the HLC programme. The report for the Department on HLCs in England was published in 2006 and has been placed in the Library. The Big Lottery Fund interim evaluation report can be found on their website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk. Big's final evaluation report on the HLC programme will be published in spring 2007.

Hospital Infections

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) cases and  (b) fatalities there were arising from (i) clostridium difficile and (ii) C difficile type 027 in each month for which records are available; and how many of these were healthcare acquired.

Andy Burnham: Monthly data for cases of  Clostridium (C.) difficile in all age groups are not available. The annual totals of cases of  C. difficile associated disease in adults aged 65 over, which are reported under the mandatory reporting scheme by all acute national health service trusts in England since January 2004, have been published(1) and were 51,690 in 2005 and 44,107 cases in 2004.
	National data on cases of  C. difficile type 027 are not available. A small number of strains of  C. difficile were typed in 2005 in the random sampling survey and the results have been published. It is not possible to differentiate between hospital acquired and community acquired cases of all  C. difficile including type 027.
	The number of deaths where  C. difficile was mentioned on the death certificate and the number where it was the underlying cause of death by month of death are given in the following table(2). It is not possible to state how many of these were healthcare associated as the place where an infection was acquired may not be known to the doctor certifying the death, and a question asking where infections were acquired is not specifically asked on the death certificate.
	It is not possible to say how many of these deaths involved  C. difficile 027 as this level of detail is not provided on death certificates.
	Notes:
	1. Mandatory surveillance of health care associated infections report 2006 at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Surveillance_of_Healthcare_Associated_ Infection_2006.pdf
	2. Mandatory surveillance of health care associated infections report 2006 at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Surveillance_of_Healthcare__Associated_ Infection_2006.pd
	
		
			  Number of death certificates with C. difficile mentioned and as the underlying cause, by month, England and Wales, 2001 to 2004 
			   January  February  March  April  May  June 
			  All mentions 
			 2001 96 109 116 110 104 101 
			 2002 112 124 140 121 96 106 
			 2003 156 116 157 139 145 115 
			 2004 211 188 190 169 187 158 
			  Underlying cause 
			 2001 49 63 63 61 67 61 
			 2002 64 64 81 61 50 62 
			 2003 78 67 86 70 66 56 
			 2004 116 100 117 93 96 89 
		
	
	
		
			   July  August  September  October  November  December 
			  All mentions 
			 2001 85 85 84 84 87 89 
			 2002 104 104 81 94 123 133 
			 2003 137 139 130 124 176 168 
			 2004 204 142 150 187 170 199 
			  Underlying cause 
			 2001 50 49 44 51 53 50 
			 2002 58 47 38 45 71 68 
			 2003 68 76 74 72 113 86 
			 2004 108 79 77 95 101 116 
			  Source: The Office of National Statistics http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/HSQ30.pdf

Infectious Diseases

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 560-61W, on infectious diseases (border control), where immigrants entering the UK other than at Heathrow and Gatwick are referred for chest X-rays.

Caroline Flint: Medical inspectors working at ports of entry pass the details of immigrants they consider require further medical examination to the national health service local to the immigrant's destination address. It is a matter for clinicians at local level whether to refer an individual for a chest x-ray, or any other diagnostic test.

Infectious Diseases

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 560-1W, on infectious diseases (border control), how many immigrants were referred for radiography in each year for which figures are available, broken down by point of entry.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect these data centrally. I would refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 28 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 560-61W, for the number of individuals who were referred for radiography at Heathrow and Gatwick airports over the previous three years for which figures are available.

IVF Treatment

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what lower age limits are set by each primary care trust for access to IVF treatment.

Caroline Flint: ( )We do not collect information centrally on the in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) provision of each( )primary care trust (PCT). The clinical guideline on the assessment and treatment for people( )with fertility problems, produced by that National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence,( )recommends IVF, where appropriate, for couples in which the woman is aged 23-39 at the( )time of treatment. We are aware that some PCTs currently have differing age limits and we( )are working with the patient support organisation Infertility Network UK to help PCTs( )engage with fertility patients in the planning and prioritisation of services.

Keep Warm, Keep Well Campaign

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what factors led to her decision to shut down the Keep Warm, Keep Well campaign helpline; and what her estimate was of the cost of continuing to provide the service;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effect on vulnerable groups of her decision to close the Keep Warm, Keep Well campaign helpline.

Caroline Flint: The decision was based on the duty to ensure the most cost effective way of distributing information on keeping warm and well in cold weather and to seek value for money for the tax payer. Only a very small percentage of calls were about health matters, and the line was acting as a signposting service to other services as half of all callers were referred on to other helplines such as the warm front scheme and the winter fuel payments helpline. In addition, since the start of Keep Warm, Keep Well, other health information services such as NHS Direct have become established. In 2005-06 only 16,000 calls were received by the Keep Warm, Keep Well helpline at a cost of11 per call, despite promotion of the helpline number. In contrast we distributed over two million information booklets, at a cost of 15p per booklet. The cost savings were around 175,000.
	It is too early to assess the impact on vulnerable groups of closing the line. However, resources have been devoted to extending the reach of the information materials by working through stakeholders and gaining coverage of the campaign messages in the media. To date 2.5 million campaign items have been ordered or distributed by our stakeholders. The campaign has promoted the other helplines, and callers to the Keep Warm, Keep Well former number will be signposted to these other helplines. Additionally, other campaigning activities, i.e. linking winter warmth messages with the Department's flu campaign target vulnerable populations.

Keep Warm, Keep Well Campaign

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received following her decision to shut down the Keep Warm, Keep Well campaign helpline in July.

Caroline Flint: Representations have been received from National Energy Action, Age Concern, Energywatch and Energy Retail Association. This has prompted a review of coverage of the current helplines in order to identify any gaps in service provision. Additionally, the Department is working in partnership with other Government Departments and Warmfront to improve partnership working and targeting of vulnerable groups.

Lung Cancer

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts within the East Strategic Health Authority have a lung cancer multi-disciplinary team (MDT); how frequently each lung cancer MDT meets; how many cases of lung cancer were discussed by each MDT in the last 12 months; and how many of those MDTs are regularly attended by a  (a) thoracic surgeon,  (b) lung cancer specialist nurse,  (c) respiratory physician,  (d) clinical oncologist and  (e) medical oncologist.

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts within the North West Strategic Health Authority area have a lung cancer multi-disciplinary team (MDT); how frequently each MDT meets; how many cases of lung cancer have been discussed by each MDT in the last 12 months; and how many MDTs are attended by a  (a) thoracic surgeon,  (b) lung cancer specialist nurse,  (c) respiratory surgeon,  (d) clinical oncologist and  (e) medical oncologist.

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts within the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority have a lung cancer multi-disciplinary team; how many such teams are regularly attended by a  (a) thoracic surgeon,  (b) lung cancer specialist nurse,  (c) respiratory physician,  (d) clinical oncologist and  (e) medical oncologist; how many cases of lung cancer have been discussed by each team to date this year; and how frequently each team meets.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts within the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority have a lung cancer multi-disciplinary team (MDT); how frequently each of these lung cancer MDTs meet; how many cases of lung cancer have been discussed by each MDT in the last year; and of these lung cancer MDTs, how many are regularly attended by  (a) a thoracic surgeon,  (b) a lung cancer specialist nurse,  (c) a respiratory physician,  (d) a clinical oncologist and  (e) a medical oncologist.

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts within the South Central Strategic Health Authority have a lung cancer multi-disciplinary team (MDT); how frequently each MDT met in each of the last two years; how many cases of lung cancer have been discussed by each team in the last 12 months; and how many of the teams are regularly attended by  (a) a thoracic surgeon,  (b) a lung cancer specialist nurse,  (c) a respiratory physician,  (d) a clinical oncologist and  (e) a medical oncologist.

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts within the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority have a lung cancer multi-disciplinary team; how frequently each of these lung cancer multi-disciplinary teams meets; and how many cases of lung cancer were discussed by each of these multi-disciplinary teams in the last 12 months.

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts within the North East Strategic Health Authority have a lung cancer multi-disciplinary team (MDT); how frequently each MDT met in the last two years; how many cases of lung cancer have been discussed by each team in the last 12 months; and how many of the teams are regularly attended by  (a) a thoracic surgeon,  (b) a lung cancer specialist nurse,  (c) a respiratory physician,  (d) a clinical oncologist and  (e) a medical oncologist.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts within the South West Strategic Health Authority have a lung cancer multi-disciplinary team (MDT); how frequently each MDT meets; how many cases of lung cancer have been discussed by each team; and how many of the teams are regularly attended by a  (a) thoracic surgeon,  (b) lung cancer specialist nurse,  (c) respiratory physician,  (d) clinical oncologist and  (e) medical oncologist.

Rosie Winterton: Lung cancer multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) are not primary care trust (PCT) based, MDTs are based in the acute sector and discuss treatment, usually following a confirmed histological diagnosis, and reach a decision with the patient on what is best in their individual circumstances.
	All cancer networks in England have now been peer reviewed against measures set out in the manual for cancer services 2004. These measures cover lung cancer multi-disciplinary teams including core membership, attendance of members at meetings and frequency of meetings. Reports of the local peer review visits for each cancer network can be found on the CQuINS database at
	www.cquins.nhs.uk
	The peer review process does not collect information concerning the number of cases discussed by each multi-disciplinary team over a 12-month period although it is intended that all new lung cancer patients will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team.
	A national report summarising findings from the visits should be available for publication in the spring.

Meat Hygiene Service

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibility her Department has for the Meat Hygiene Service.

Caroline Flint: The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) is an executive agency of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is itself a non-ministerial Government department. The Secretary of State for Health therefore has no responsibility for the MHS or FSA other than reporting to Parliament on their activities as required.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis the statistics for the number of homicides committed by those who are mentally ill in  (a) Violent Crime Overview Homicide and Gun Crime 2004-05 Home Office Statistical Bulletin 02/06 and  (b) Avoidable Deaths: Five Year Report of the National Confidential Enquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness were calculated.

Rosie Winterton: Avoidable Deaths: Five Year Report of the National Confidential Inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness is based on information about incidences of homicide by mentally ill people in contact with mental health services. The report, which is available in the Library, provides further details about the methodology used by the inquiry.
	The Home Office bulletin Violent Crime Overview Homicide and Gun Crime 2004-05 is populated by information from the police and courts for each offence initially recorded as homicide in England and Wales. Figures relating to offences conducted by mentally disturbed suspects relate to the apparent circumstances being categorised as 'irrational act carried out by apparently insane or disturbed suspect' and does not necessarily include all suspects in contact with mental health services prior to the offence taking place or those subsequently diagnosed with a mental illness. The assessment does not necessarily include a medical opinion.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the  (a) progress with and  (b) future development of her Department's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme;
	(2)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of therapists required to implement National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on psychological therapies.

Rosie Winterton: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) was launched in May 2006 and became operational in August 2006. To date, the demonstration sites have seen in excess of 1,500 patients with depression and anxiety disorders and early indications with regard to clinical outcome and overall patient satisfaction are very favourable.
	The Department is committed to delivering IAPT, which is one its main workstreams for 2007 and it will continue to work in partnership with the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) to manage this crucial piece of work. IAPT is subject to a three year evaluation by the Department's Service, Delivery and Organisation research programme where its future development will be fully considered.
	The IAPT programme's workforce component is considering workforce numbers. It is working very closely with colleagues from the major therapy governing bodies and with CSIP to address this question. We hope to be able to report on this early next year.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account was taken of the European Parliament resolution on improving the mental health of the population during the conduct of the national confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness.

Rosie Winterton: Avoidable Deaths is a product of the Centre for Suicide Prevention at the University of Manchester. The centre has been commissioned by the National Patient Safety Agency to investigate suicides, homicides and sudden unexplained deaths in mental health services and make recommendations on how they might be prevented. I understand from the director of the National Confidential Inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness (Professor Louis Appleby) that while the inquiry team have not taken into account this particular resolution of the European Parliament, they have paid utmost attention to presenting their findings appropriately. Based on empirical analysis of the available data on homicides by people with mental illness, the report concludes that community care has not increased the risk to the general public.

Mental Health

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Suffolk were recorded as having mental health problems in each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

MRSA

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of recent trends in MRSA cases in Shropshire hospitals.

Andy Burnham: The latest published data for hospitals in Shropshire are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Trust  Number of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia reports April to September 2005  Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports September 2005 to March 2006 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital National Health Service Trust 23 16 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 0 0 
			  Source:  Health Protection Agency

NHS Finance

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the capital repayment liabilities are of acute trusts in England; and what each acute trust's deficit or surplus was for 2005-06.

Andy Burnham: The information in table 1 details the 2006-07 forecast unitary payments under private finance initiative (PR) schemes for acute national health service trusts.
	Table 2 shows the financial position of acute NHS trusts, as reported in the 2005-06 audited final accounts.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Code  Commissioning body  Org Type  Capital value (000)  Details  Estimated up 2006-07 (000) 
			 RF4 Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust Acute 238,000 Rationalisation of two sites onto one adjacent to the existing Oldchurch hospital in Romford 13,165 
			 RVL Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 54,300 Modernising Barnet General Hospital 15,452 
			 RG3 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 117,900 New Farnborough hospital 20,124 
			 RXQ Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust Multi Service 45,100 Site rationalisation 11,644 
			 RXQ Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust Multi Service 46,600. Partial redevelopment of Stoke Mandeville Hospital 8.550 
			 RWY Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust Acute 64,600 Centralisation of acute hospital services 18,829 
			 RGT Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Acute Other 76,000 Elective Care Centre, Genetics and Diabetes at Addenbrookes 131 
			 RXP County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 61.000 New district hospital for North Durham - Dryburn 13,531 
			 RXP County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 48.000 Redevelopment of Bishop Auckland General Hospital 9.261 
			 RXP County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 10,400 Community Hospital 2,177 
			 RN7 Dartford and Gravesham Hospital NHS Trust Acute 94,000 New general hospital 20,524 
			 RNA Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 137,000 Redevelopment and rationalisation 18,178 
			 RXR East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 109.600 Closure of Blackburn Royal Infirmary and expansion of Queens Park hospital. 8,450 
			 RXR East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 30,100 Reprovision of Burnley Hospital - Phase V 3,134 
			 RTE Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Acute 32,000 Total site redevelopment 3,396 
			 RLQ Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 64,100 New District General Hospital 11,945 
			 RWA Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 22,000 Maternity and acute development - Hull Royal Infirmary 2,154 
			 RJZ King's College Hospital NHS Trust Acute Other 75,500 New block 18,350 
			 RAX Kingston Hospital NHS Trust Acute 27.600 Redevelopment of Kingston Hospital 7,235 
			 RR8 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Acute Other 14.100 Replacement of Wharfedale General Hospital 1,760 
			 RJ2 Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust Acute 51.000 Redevelopment of University Hospital including the separation of elective and emergency procedures 2.887 
			 RC9 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust Acute 14,700 St Mary's Wing 1,281 
			 RNH Newham Healthcare NHS Trust Acute 52,100 Reprovision of Acute Services from the 19th century St Andrews to Newham General Hospital 11,205 
			 RM1 Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust Acute 158,000 New DGH 42,719 
			 RNL North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 66,700 Centralisation to new Cumberland Infirmary site 15,141 
			 RV8 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 69,300 Modernisation of Central Middlesex Hospital 7,050 
			 RTF Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust Acute 17,820 Phase 2 development of Wansbeck General Hospital 1,882 
			 RTF Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust Acute 55,100 Redevelopment of Hexham General Hospital 3,991 
			 RX1 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Acute Other 16,600 ENT/Ophthalmology 3,024 
			 RG2 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust Acute 96,100 Part new build and part refurbishment of hospital 21,097 
			 RGZ Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup NHS Trust Acute 15,000 Reprovision of mental health services 2,087 
			 RNZ Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust Acute 24,100 DGH Redevelopment 2,477 
			 RXK Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 26,100 Ambulatory Care Centre at City Hospital 3,233 
			 RHQ Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Acute Other 30,000 New Hadfield Wing to Replace Victorian Vickers wards 1.066 
			 RM2 South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust Acute Other 66.700 Site rationalisation at Wythenshawe Hospital 22.239 
			 RTR South Tees Acute Hospital NHS Trust Acute 121.900 Site redevelopment and centralisation of acute hospital services at James Cook University Hospital 28.182 
			 RJ7 St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust Acute Other 46,100 Neuro cardiac unit 7,820 
			 RN3 Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust Acute 100,200 New district general hospital 19,514 
			 RL4 The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 12,800 Radiology unit 3.263 
			 RKE The Whittington NHS Trust Acute 31,900 Redevelopment of Acute Hospital services 163 
			 RRV University College London Hospitals NHS Trust Acute Other 422,000 Rationalisation of sites 41.000 
			 RKB University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust Acute 378,900 New DGH at Walsgrave 53,926 
			 RFW West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust Acute 60,000 DBFO of hospital site 11,032 
			 RWP Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Acute 86,600 New district general hospital 23,408 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: 2005-06 acute NHS trust financial position 
			  Org code  Organisation name  SHA code  2005-06 Final accounts surplus/(deficit) (000)  Org type 
			 REM Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust Q31 6 Acute 
			 RCF Airedale NHS Trust Q32 4,267 Acute 
			 RTK Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust Q37 (7,560) Acute 
			 RF4 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hosp NHS Trust Q36 (16,009) Acute 
			 RVL Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust Q36 (8,994) Acute 
			 RNJ Barts and The London NHS Trust Q36 3,414 Acute Teaching 
			 RC1 Bedford Hospitals NHS Trust Q35 (11,887) Acute 
			 RLU Birmingham Women's Health Care NHS Trust Q34 50 Acute Specialist 
			 RXL Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hosps NHS Trust Q31 7 Acute 
			 RMC Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust Q31 3,278 Acute 
			 RXH Brighton and Sussex Univ Hosps NHS Trust Q37 (11,290) Acute 
			 RG3 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust Q36 (15,765) Acute 
			 RXQ Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust Q38 28 Acute 
			 RJF Burton Hospitals NHS Trust Q34 100 Acute 
			 RWY Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust Q32 166 Acute 
			 RW3 Cent Manchester/Manchester Child NHS Trust Q31 6,481 Acute Teaching 
			 ROM Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust Q36 2,204 Acute Teaching 
			 RBV Christie Hospital NHS Trust Q31 10 Acute Specialist 
			 REN Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust Q31 170 Acute Specialist 
			 RXP County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Q30 114 Acute 
			 RN7 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust Q37 (4,436) Acute 
			 RNA Dudley Group Of Hospitals NHS Trust Q34 1,753 Acute 
			 RC3 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust Q36 1,059 Acute 
			 RWH East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust Q35 (22,379) Acute 
			 RJN East Cheshire NHS Trust Q31 12 Acute 
			 RNA/ East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust Q37 (2,606) Acute 
			 RXR East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust Q31 153 Acute 
			 RA4 East Somerset NHS Trust Q39 2 Acute 
			 RXC East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust Q37 (4,864) Acute 
			 RVR Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust Q36 79 Acute 
			 RDE Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust Q35 (1,439) Acute 
			 RLT George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Q34 (7,294) Acute 
			 RJH Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust Q34 (5,972) Acute 
			 RON Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust Q36 (18,484) Acute Teaching 
			 RD7 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hosps NHS Trust Q38 (3,691) Acute 
			 RLQ Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust Q34 2 Acute 
			 RQQ Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust Q35 (7,752) Acute 
			 RWA Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Q32 (12,267) Acute 
			 RGQ Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust Q35 (16,735) Acute 
			 RR2 Isle Of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust Q38 9 Acute 
			 RGP James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust Q35 1,527 Acute 
			 RNQ Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust Q33 3 Acute 
			 RJZ King's College Hospital NHS Trust Q36 122 Acute Teaching 
			 RAX Kingston Hospital NHS Trust Q36 14 Acute 
			 RR8 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Q32 309 Acute Teaching 
			 RC9 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust Q35 395 Acute 
			 RWF Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Q37 112 Acute 
			 RJ6 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust Q36 (5,847) Acute 
			 RPA Medway NHS Trust Q37 210 Acute 
			 RQ8 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust Q35 (11,202) Acute 
			 RJD Mid Staffordshire Gen Hospitals NHS Trust Q34 478 Acute 
			 RXF Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Q32 (14,589) Acute 
			 RD8 Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust Q38 536 Acute 
			 RTD Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust Q30 234 Acute Teaching 
			 RNH Newham University Hospital NHS Trust Q36 38 Acute 
			 RM1 Norfolk and Norwich Univ Hosp NHS Trust 035 145 Acute 
			 RVJ North Bristol NHS Trust O39 1,480 Acute 
			 RWW North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust Q31 83 Acute 
			 RNL North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Q31 56 Acute 
			 RN5 North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust Q38 26 Acute 
			 RJL North Lincolnshire And Goole Hosps NHS Trust Q32 0 Acute 
			 RAP North Middlesex University Hosp NHS Trust Q36 (8,166) Acute 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust Q30 (12,812) Acute 
			 RV8 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust Q36 (24,064) Acute 
			 RNS Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Q33 (2,907) Acute 
			 RBZ Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust Q39 (7,961) Acute 
			 RTF Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust Q30 40 Acute 
			 RTH Oxford Radcliffe Hospital NHS Trust Q38 (19,409) Acute Teaching 
			 RW6 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Q31 56 Acute 
			 RK9 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust Q39 (1,932) Acute 
			 RD3 Poole Hospitals NHS Trust Q39 0 Acute 
			 RHU Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust Q38 1,096 Acute 
			 ROW Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust Q35 (5,857) Acute 
			 RCX Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Trust Q35 (10,986) Acute 
			 RG2 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust Q36 (19,289) Acute 
			 RGZ Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust Q36 (19,750) Acute 
			 RHW Royal Berkshire and Battle Hosps NHS Trust Q38 20 Acute 
			 RT3 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust Q36 3,240 Acute 
			 REF Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Q39 (15,687) Acute 
			 RAL Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust Q36 (4,845) Acute Teaching 
			 RQ6 Royal Liverpool Broadgreen Hosps NHS Trust Q31 18 Acute Teaching 
			 RA2 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust Q37 279 Acute 
			 RD1 Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust Q39 (7,339) Acute 
			 RL4 Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust Q34 (9,423) Acute 
			 RM3 Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust Q31 449 Acute Teaching 
			 RNZ Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust Q39 0 Acute 
			 RXK Sandwell and West Birmingham Hosps NHS Trust Q34 (5,726) Acute 
			 RCC Scarborough and NE Yorks NHS Trust Q32 (8,961) Acute 
			 RK5 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust Q33 1 Acute 
			 RXW Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust Q34 (12,142) Acute 
			 RA9 South Devon Health Care NHS Trust Q39 89 Acute 
			 RM2 South Manchester Univ Hosp NHS Trust Q31 7,460 Acute Teaching 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust Q30 (21,395) Acute 
			 RJC South Warwickshire Gen Hosps NHS Trust Q34 (13,845) Acute 
			 RHM Southampton University Hosps NHS Trust Q38 (12,927) Acute Teaching 
			 RAJ Southend Hospital NHS Trust Q35 524 Acute 
			 RVY Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust Q31 0 Acute 
			 RJ7 St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust Q36 (33,569) Acute Teaching 
			 RBN St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust Q31 106 Acute 
			 RJ5 St. Mary's NHS Trust Q36 3,094 Acute Teaching 
			 RTP Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust Q37 (40,281) Acute 
			 RN3 Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust Q39 (835) Acute 
			 RMP Tameside and Glossop Acute Servs NHS Trust Q31 55 Acute 
			 RBA Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust Q39 16 Acute 
			 RBQ The Cardiothoracic CntrLiverpool NHS Trust Q31 0 Acute 
			 RAS The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust Q36 2,212 Acute 
			 RJ2 The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust Q36 (8,805) Acute 
			 RBT The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust Q31 154 Acute 
			 RPR The Royal West Sussex NHS Trust Q37 (13,298) Acute 
			 RM4 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust Q31 2,270 Acute 
			 RA7 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust Q39 3,285 Acute Teaching 
			 RWD United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust Q33 (15,043) Acute 
			 RKB Univ Hosps Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust Q34 0 Acute 
			 RJE University Hospital Of North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust Q34 (15,059) Acute 
			 RWE University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Q33 60 Acute Teaching 
			 RTX University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust Q31 (6,357) Acute 
			 RBK Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust Q34 2,728 Acute 
			 RET Walton Neurology Centre NHS Trust Q31 10 Acute 
			 RBD West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust Q39 (1,082) Acute 
			 RWG West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust Q35 (26,785) Acute 
			 RFW West Middlesex University NHS Trust Q36 (9,024) Acute 
			 RGR West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust Q35 (12,995) Acute 
			 RAS Weston Area Health NHS Trust Q39 (6,989) Acute 
			 RGC Whipps Cross University Hosp NHS Trust(1) Q36 (15,811) Acute 
			 RKE Whittington Hospital NHS Trust Q36 20 Acute 
			 RN1 Winchester and Eastleigh Hlthcre NHS Trust Q38 (3,048) Acute 
			 RBL Wirral Hospital NHS Trust Q31 20 Acute 
			 RWP Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Q34 (4,952) Acute 
			 RPL Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust Q37 (10,863) Acute 
			 RRF Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Trust Q31 1,697 Acute 
			 RGB York Hospitals NHS Trust Q32 9 Acute 
			  Total  (623,141)  
			 (1) Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust are yet to submit final audited accounts.

NHS Professionals

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health trusts are using NHS Professionals; and how many of those that were previously using NHS Professionals have stopped doing so.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 14 December 2006
	As of October 2006, 90 trusts used NHS Professionals nursing service with a total of 66 trusts taking the doctors' service. Approximately 10 trusts take both services and these figures do not take into account the impact of the recent PCT organisation.
	Since April 2004, 16 trusts have stopped using NHS Professionals but another 36 have begun using it since that that date.

NICE

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account is taken of the size of the patient population affected by a disease when the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence decides which topics to select for consideration.

Andy Burnham: The size of the patient population affected by a disease is taken into account, as part of the topic selection criteria set by the Department, when Ministers decide which topics are to be referred to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). The criteria which are used to inform decisions on the referral of topics to NICE are published at:
	www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=384342

Obesity

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has commissioned into links between obesity and cancer; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There has been no research commissioned by the Department on links between obesity and cancer. However, the Department recognises the summary research evidence available from studies in the United Kingdom, which shows that the risk of a number of cancers is increased by obesity, including breast cancer, cancer of the endometrium, uterus, cervix, ovary and gall-bladder in women and cancer of rectum and prostate in men.

Obesity

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned into links between sugar intake and body weight amongst  (a) schoolchildren and  (b) adults.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not commissioned any specific research on the potential impact of sugar intakes on body weight in children or adults.
	The Food Standards Agency is in discussion with stakeholders, including the food industry to develop a strategy to help consumers achieve energy balance. The level of sugars in some foods is being explored as part of this strategy.

Obesity

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the costs to the NHS attributable to conditions caused by  (a) excess weight and  (b) obesity.

Caroline Flint: Tackling Child ObesityFirst Steps, a joint report from the National Audit Office, Healthcare Commission and Audit Commission published in February 2006, put the cost of obesity to the national health service at around 1 billion a year, with an additional 2.3-2.6 billion a year to the economy as a whole. No estimate has been made on the cost of excess weight to the NHS.

Obesity

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned into the sources of free sugar intake among  (a) schoolchildren and  (b) adults.

Caroline Flint: The most recent information available on the sources of free sugar non-milk extrinsic sugars in the diets of schoolchildren and adults comes from the 1997 national diet and nutrition survey of young people aged four to 18 years and the 2000-01 national diet and nutrition survey of adults aged 19 to 64 years.
	The main sources of NMES are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Percentage contribution to average daily intake of non-milk extrinsic sugars 
			  Food group  Children aged 4-18 years( 1)  Adults aged 19-64 years( 2) 
			 Soft drinks (not low calorie) 25 16 
			 Table sugar 7 19 
			 Confectionery (sugar and chocolate) 21 9 
			 Biscuits, buns, cakes and pastries 14 11 
			 Alcoholic drinks 1 10 
			 (1) Data from Gregory J, Lowe S, Bates CJ, Prentice A, Jackson LV, Smithers G, Wenlock R and Farron M. National Diet and Nutrition Survey: young people aged 4 to 18 years. Volume 1: Report of the diet and nutrition survey (2000). TSO (London: 2000).  (2) Data from Henderson L, Gregory J, Irving K and Swan G. National Diet and Nutrition Survey: adults aged 19 to 64 years. Volume 2: Energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat and alcohol intake. TSO (London: 2003).

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary written questions her Department received in each parliamentary Session since 2001; and how many of these questions  (a) were not answered because of disproportionate cost,  (b) were not answered,  (c) received answers referring back to a previous answer (i) asked by the hon. Member and (ii) asked by another hon. Member and  (d) were grouped together for answer.

Ivan Lewis: The numbers of written parliamentary questions for each session since 2002 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002-03 9,929 
			 2003-04 8,356 
			 2004-05 3,270 
			 2005-06 14,893 
		
	
	Information for the 2001-02 session is not available.
	We do not record separately how many answers referred to the disproportionate cost threshold, how many referred to previous answers or how many were grouped together for answer. Written answers are however a matter of public record and published in the  Official Report.
	At the end of the 2005-06 parliamentary Session, 43 questions were unanswered. Information on questions not answered in previous Sessions is not available.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what target her Department has for the maximum acceptable amount of time to answer parliamentary written questions; and what percentage of parliamentary answers met that target in each parliamentary Session since 2001.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not have a target for the maximum amount of time to answer a parliamentary question.

Patient Location

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients normally resident in Wales were treated in English hospitals in each year since 2000.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of patients normally resident in Wales who were treated in English hospitals from 2000 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000 10,470 
			 2001 10,080 
			 2002 10,396 
			 2003 11,370 
			 2004 12,482 
			 2005 13,920 
		
	
	Information is not yet available for 2006.

PCT Fund Reductions

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the North Essex Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust on the planned reduction in funds provided by the West Essex, Mid Essex and North East Essex primary care trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 11 December 2006
	Ministers have had no discussions with the Mental Health Trust about the planned reduction in services commissioned by West Essex, Mid Essex and North Essex primary care trusts (PCT). However, officials have begun discussions with the relevant strategic health authority (SHA).
	The Department does not expect any mental health provider to be asked to contribute proportionately more in financial savings or costs improvement plans than other NHS providers in the local health economy, unless that service contributed to the deficit in any year. We would expect any local financial planning to reflect this principle.
	There have been a small number of possible disproportionate savings cases on mental health which are being investigated by the Recovery and Support Unit (RSU).
	Should disproportionate savings be identified, these will be followed up by RSU, the relevant strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust. The SHA will be required to provide a rationale forthe disproportionate savings, a commitment to reduce the savings expected from mental health providers in 2007-08 by the same amount as any over-contribution this year, and an affirmation of commitment to deliver agreed early intervention crisis resolution and community development services.

Peterborough Primary Care Trust

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any financial surplus of the Peterborough primary care trust will be used to subsidise the financial deficit of the Cambridgeshire primary care trust following the implementation of the new configuration of primary care trusts in Cambridgeshire in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: ( )Strategic health authorities (SHAs) are responsible for developing and implementing a( )service and financial strategy to help manage and balance the overall financial position( )within their area. This includes creating local reserves to deal with local situations.
	The level of these reserves has been determined locally, to enable SHAs to achieve their( )financial planning target. However, in doing so, we expect SHAs to have full regard to the( )financial and service position of each organisation in determining how reserves are( )generated and applied.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) which make a contribution will be repaid, normally within the( )three-year allocation cycle, when organisations currently in deficit start producing surpluses.( )SHAs have been asked to ensure PCTs with the greatest health need are the first to be( )repaid.

Prescriptions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 565W, on prescriptions, how many prescriptions were issued in each month between February 2005 and November 2006.

Andy Burnham: Data on the number of prescriptions issued in the community are not held centrally. The table shows the number of prescription items dispensed in the community in England. Also included are prescription items prescribed in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions.
	
		
			  Year/quarter  Total items 
			  2005  
			 January-March 169,746,698 
			 April-June 179,457,669 
			 July-September 178,888,937 
			 October-December 192,189,860 
			  2006  
			 January-March 182,474,463 
			 April-June 185,450,941 
			 July-September 185,304,367 
			  Source: Prescription cost analysis (PCA) system

Psychologists

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to protect the title of psychologist within the proposed statutory regulation of psychologists and related professions; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: It is not possible to protect the title psychologist without either setting standards too low to protect the public who need help with psychological problems, which only a subset of psychologists with applied psychology training provide; or else setting standards too high for other psychologists who do not have this training. If the title psychologist were protected with these high standards other psychologists such as those with academic training only would either have to stop calling themselves psychologist, or would be unfairly criminalised for doing so. The Government's intention is to regulate only applied psychologists.

Psychologists

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from professional bodies representing psychologists on the proposed Health Professions Council; and if she will publish her response to those representations.

Andy Burnham: The Government set out their proposals for the statutory regulation of applied psychologists in its March 2005 public consultation document Applied Psychologyenhancing public protection: proposals for the statutory regulation of applied psychologists.
	More recently, the Department held a four-month period of consultation on our proposals to reform the regulation of medical and non-medical healthcare professionals, following the recommendations made by Sir Liam Donaldson and the advisory group headed by Andrew Foster earlier this year. This consultation ended on 10 November 2006.
	We are now considering the way forward in the light of responses and the Government's policy objectives. We expect to publish our proposals shortly.
	Separately from this consultation process, the British Psychological Society (BPS) has written to five Government Departments (eight letters in total, with five of these being the same letter). These letters have had the following response:
	Thank you for your letter of xx to xx. I am replying since I am the Minister with responsibility for statutory regulation of applied psychologists across Government.
	I have noted your comments and your proposals for an alternative to the Health Professions Council as the statutory regulator for applied psychologists. As you know, there is currently a consultation in progress on our proposals to reform the regulation of medical and non-medical healthcare professionals, following the recommendations made by Sir Liam Donaldson and the advisory group headed by Andrew Foster earlier this year. Your comments will be considered as part of the response to the consultation.
	The consultation ends on 10 November 2006 and we will then consider the way forward in the light of responses and the Government's policy objectives.
	I have agreed to meet you and other representatives of the British Psychological Society on 29 November (postponed to 18 December) 2006 when you may wish to raise this issue again.
	Andy Burnham.

Public Health Observatory

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) public health observatories have been established and  (b) public health observatory reports have been published.

Caroline Flint: There are 12 public health observatories (PHOs) covering the whole of the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland.
	The Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) was established to ensure a high degree of co-ordination of PHOs' activities. This network now covers PHOs in the whole of the UK and Ireland. APHO has also developed strong links with equivalent organisations at national and regional levels across Europe.
	All of the PHOs work together as a co-ordinated network to produce key national outputs. For example, the PHOs in England, Wales and Scotland have produced local authority based profilesone for each local authority in those countries. The PHOs publish a very wide range of material. It is estimated that, nationally, they produce some 200-300 publications per year, including the indications series on public health in the English regions. In addition, some 350 local authority based profiles are also produced per year.
	A great deal of output from PHOs comes through individual requests, e.g. from primary care trusts and strategic health authorities, including production of data packs, electronic downloadable tools, CD/DVD ROMs etc. PHOs also produce regular articles for publication in professional journals such as the  Health Service Journal.

Public Involvement

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to decide whether local involvement networks will have statutory powers of inspection.

Rosie Winterton: Following the publication of 'A Stronger Local Voice' we received many comments and suggestions from stakeholders about our plans for the future of patient and public involvement. We value the opinion of those with experience on the ground of working in the PPI system, and for that reason we are listening to their advice and giving Local Involvement Networks (LINks) the power to enter and assess facilities. We feel that this will give LINks access to people's views, at the time at which they experience services.
	The Government also published their response to 'A Stronger Local Voice' on 11 December, which outlines in greater detail the role, rights and responsibilities of LINks. This document has been placed in the Library and can be found at the following website address:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4141027amp;chk=YeQaBl

Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions about reduced ignition propensity cigarettes officials in her Department have had with representatives of the Tobacco Manufacturers Association.

Caroline Flint: Following the written ministerial statement on reduced ignition propensity cigarettes on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 67W5, the Tobacco Manufacturers Association arranged a presentation for officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department of Trade and Industry and this Department on 5 October, setting out their concerns regarding the introduction of reduced ignition propensity of cigarettes and a possible European technical standard.

Residential Drug Rehabilitation

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential drug rehabilitation places are available in England; and how many are available to women and their children.

Caroline Flint: There are 115 residential rehabilitation services in England with a total of 2,441 beds for drug and/or alcohol treatment.
	There are nine services providing 143 beds for single parents with children in England, and five services providing 107 beds for couples with children.
	 Note
	Information is mainly given in number of beds available for residential rehabilitation. This is not the same as the number of client places available in treatment services during any one year, as one bed may be occupied by a number of clients, depending on need, during the year.

Rural Health Services

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what programmes her Department operates to provide particular provision to rural areas; and what the cost of such programmes is expected to be in 2007-08.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 12 December 2006
	The Department operates a number of policies that will inevitably support rural areas, but it is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to determine local services in consultation with local people and other health and social care professionals. All new departmental policies are rural-proofed in liaison with colleagues in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Some examples of these policies are as follows:
	 Community hospitals and services programme
	Through the community hospitals and services programme, 750 million worth of capital funding is available over the next five years, to fund the provision of community hospitals and services, with up to150 million worth of capital funding available in 2007-08. Whilst funding is not specifically targeted at rural areas, it is inevitable, because of the nature of community hospitals, that some of this funding will fund services in rural areas.
	 Mental health
	The needs of those living in rural communities are set out in the mental health national service framework (NSF), published in 1999, feature particularly in reports on progress to implement the strategy to reduce the rate of death by suicide. The NSF is a 10-year programme.
	The Department operates a number of activities, which affect the problems of rural stress as part of a wider programme of action to tackle mental illness and promote good mental health in rural areas, these include:
	suicide prevention (the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) programme);
	research commissioned on suicide amongst farmers;
	a policy on reviewing all PCT local development plans and agreeing flexibility around fidelity to the prescribed service model for (Public Service Agreement) targeted teams in rural areas, e.g. Cumbria;
	NIMHE Social Inclusion Programme;
	rural proofing the mental health national service framework;
	membership of the rural services action plan (a representative from NIMHE on the rural services working group); and
	section 64 grants to voluntary and charitable organisations supporting schemes to
	establish a network of support available to people in rural communities who are suffering from stress.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that mental health services are more accessible to service users 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We have established a number of key access points including NHS Direct where a specialist mental health team has been established which, through training and supporting nurse advisors, enables the provision of 24 hour service across the country. This is particularly valuable to people living in isolated areas. We have also established over 700 new mental health teams working in the community (i.e. assertive outreach, early intervention, crisis resolution teams) which have improved access to mental health services around the clock.
	 Primary Medical Care
	PCTs are now consistently reporting that almost all patients, including those in rural areas, have the opportunity to be seen by a general practitioner within two working days, or by a primary care professional within one working day in line with the NHS plan target for fast access.
	 Funding
	Allocations to PCTs are made on the basis of a fair funding formula, which directs funding to those areas of greatest need. It is for PCTs to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations.
	The allocation formula used in the 2006-08 allocations provides the best available measure of health need in all areas. In calculating health need in rural areas, it takes account of the effects of access, transport and poverty.
	The 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations represent 135 billion investment in the NHS,64 billion to PCTs in 2006-07 and 70 billion in 2007-08. Over the two years covered by this allocation, PCTs will receive an average increase of 19.5 per cent.
	The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation will be considering the question of how best to take account of rural issues within the funding formula.

School Nurses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the budget was for the school nursing service in the Coventry Teaching primary care trust area in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what budget is being proposed for the school nursing service in the Coventry Teaching primary care trust area in 2007-08.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Strategic Health Authorities

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she made of the potential effects of cuts in the training budgets of strategic health authorities before the cuts were made.

Rosie Winterton: In recognition of the overall financial situation in 2006-07, the Department issued the education and training budget as part of a bundle of central budgets to strategic health authorities (SHAs) at the end of July. The bundle included money to fund workforce programmes, the quality and outcomes framework, clinical excellence awards, as well as other miscellaneous programmes at a level higher than in 2005-6. Within the overall resources allocated, this approach has provided the SHAs with the maximum flexibility to determine their own local priorities, including how much is invested in education and training. It would not therefore have been possible for the Secretary of State to assess in advance what those decisions would be.

Sudan One

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prosecutions there have been under the General Food Regulations 2004 and Article 14 of EC regulation 180/2002 with regard to the presence of Sudan One in UK food since 2004-05.

Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the information requested is not available centrally.
	Local authorities (LAs) are required to report to the FSA the number of inspections of food premises which they have carried out, and information on the number of establishments that have been subject to formal enforcement actions.
	The data on prosecutions is broken down by area of offence - hygiene of personnel, general hygiene, composition, contamination, labelling and presentation, and otherbut does not go into more detailed levels.
	Data for the year 2005-06 are currently in preparation but have not yet been published.

Sulphites

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the effect on health of sulphites in alcoholic beverages; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Sulphites have been approved for food use in the EU following a rigorous safety assessment. However, since sulphites are known to trigger reactions in asthmatic individuals, foods, including alcoholic drinks, containing them have to declare their presence on the product label.

Temozolomide

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients normally resident in Wales and treated in English hospitals received the drug Temozolomide in each year since 2000.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not held centrally.

Temozolomide

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether English general hospitals whotreat patients normally resident in Wales with Temozolomide receive reimbursement from the Welsh Assembly Government.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not available as details of expenditure on individual drug therapies are not kept centrally.

Waiting Times

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current average waiting time is for an outpatient appointment at  (a) Chorley and South Ribble District hospital and  (b) Preston hospital.

Andy Burnham: The information is not available in the requested format. In October 2006, the median outpatient waiting time for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, which the two hospitals are part of, was 3.5 weeks. This figure relates to the wait from general practitioner referral to the first outpatient appointment.

Working Time Directive

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the total cost of the working time directive to the national health service since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: ( )The Government agreed to implement the European working time directive as UK( )legislation to improve the health and safety and working lives of all employees in this( )country. The vast majority of staff groups have been covered by the 48-hour week since( )1998. The Government negotiated an extension to the WTD for doctors in training to enable( )phased implementation from August 2004.
	Implementation of the working time directive is the responsibility of local national health( )service trusts, who with strategic health authorities were required to draw up affordable( )plans to meet working time directive 2004.
	Actual costs of the financial impact of the working time directive are not held centrally and( )could not in any case be separated from the overall cost of the NHS growth and( )modernisation. However, the Department in England worked with the health professions and( )NHS employers to provide joint guidance and invested an extra 46 million to support( )implementation, including 20 national pilots and the hospital at night project.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 23 November 2006,  Official Report, column 714, to the hon. Member for Warrington, North (Helen Jones), in which areas of the country  (a) people are not using and  (b) councils are refusing to use the powers given to them to tackle anti-social behaviour, broken down by type of party political control.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 30 November 2006
	The Home Office does not collect this information centrally.

Approved Premises

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of people housed in approved premises are categorised as  (a) high and  (b) very high risk; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: As at 30 September 2006, the number of residents housed in Approved Premises in England and Wales and categorised as  (a) high risk was 1,191, representing 61 per cent. The number of residents categorised as  (b) very high risk was 98, representing5 per cent. The figures do not include data for the Prospects Approved Premises which are a specialist resource for offenders with substance misuse problems.

Asylum Seekers

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment the Immigration and Nationality Directorate makes of whether children seeking asylum in the UK are economic migrants.

Liam Byrne: We consider all asylum applications, including those from children, in accordance with the criteria set out in the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the status of refugees. That is, the applicant must have a well founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a particular social group. Each case is assessed on its merits against these criteria and not on whether asylum was sought for economic gain.

Asylum Seekers

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the proposed reform of the asylum system for unaccompanied asylum seeking children will take into account the  (a) legal services,  (b) mental health and  (c) other needs of those children.

Liam Byrne: We are considering a number of improvements to the immigration and support systems for unaccompanied children seeking asylum. One of these is to ensure that the children are only placed in areas of the United Kingdom where the necessary infrastructure is in place to deal with their specialist needs. The availability of good quality specialist legal and medical services would be an important factor in deciding which local authorities should take responsibility for UASC care.

Asylum Seekers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by his Department to improve facilities and services, including medical support and counselling for asylum applicants who have been victims of rape in their country of origin.

Liam Byrne: All asylum seekers, including victims of rape, can access primary and secondary care on the national health service, free of charge, while their applications are under consideration. Where rape has been used as a means of torture, non-governmental organisations such as the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture may also provide counselling services.
	Asylum seekers who are destitute will be offered accommodation in the Initial Accommodation network. As part of the induction process, asylum seekers will be offered a health assessment funded by the Department of Health and provided by a dedicated team. This offers the asylum seeker the opportunity to disclose issues such as rape or sexual abuse in a confidential environment, to undergo HIV-testing if required, and allows the health professionals to make decisions about onward referrals to appropriate services in the area.

Asylum Seekers

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to identify whether an applicant for asylum has been tortured.

Liam Byrne: A central aim of the asylum interview is to establish whether the claimant has been mistreated. The interview is conducted by trained decision makers in line with policy and process guidance. The guidance on possible torture victims was prepared with advice from the specialist Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture and is published on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's website:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/chapter2
	Asylum applicants have free access to the national health service and are advised of the facilities available. Those who are detained are additionally given a general examination by medical staff on site, during which they are asked whether they have been tortured.

Asylum Seekers

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many asylum seekers who made an unsuccessful application for indefinite leave to remain under the concession announced by the Home Secretary on 24 October 2003 have  (a) made a new application and  (b) had an application granted under the replacement note setting out the concession with effect from 12 June;
	(2)  what reasons were given for refusal of applications from asylum seekers refused leave under the family indefinite leave to remain exercise of24 October 2003; and how many applications were refused for each reason;
	(3)  how many asylum seekers  (a) applied and  (b) had an application granted under the concession for indefinite leave to remain under the terms of the note of 24 October 2003 until its replacement on 12 June 2006.
	(4)  how many asylum seekers have  (a) applied and  (b) had an application granted under the concession for indefinite leave to remain as set out in the replacement note of 12 June 2006;
	(5)  how many asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused and who have no further right of appeal have been granted indefinite leave to remain under  (a) the leave to remain concession announced by the Home Secretary on 24 October 2003 and  (b) the modification of the concession made by the note of12 June 2006.

Liam Byrne: The requested information is unavailable and would be obtainable only by examination of individual case files, at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the 'Family ILR Exercise' is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin 'Asylum Statistics United Kingdom'. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Developmentand Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Beds

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by  (a) the police and  (b) prison and detention facilities on (i) beds and (ii) furniture in each year since 1997; and what percentage was sourced from (A) the UK, (B) other EU countries and (C) elsewhere.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is notheld centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. Police expenditure is a matter for each police authority.

Bonus Payments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria a civil servant in his Department must fulfil  (a) to be considered for a bonus on top of their regular salary and  (b) to be awarded a bonus.

Liam Byrne: The criteria for awarding civil servants within the Home Office a bonus payment on top of their regular salary are based upon the achievement of individual work objectives. An annual performance appraisal assessment is made by the line manager or supervisor. If this assessment concludes that the objectives have been exceeded and overall performance is exceptional, then a performance bonus payment is awarded.
	The Home Office also has a recognition bonus scheme. Bonus payments recognise outstanding achievement or individual contribution. Line managers may recommend individuals for these at any time of the year.
	Other types of bonus payments awarded to civil servants within the Home Office include:
	A corporate bonus scheme within the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). The criteria for the level of payments made are based upon the achievement of centrally set targets. These targets aim to incentivise employees to achieve stretching service standards, while operating within reducing budgets.
	A change bonus scheme also operates within the IPS to incentivise managers to deliver the IPS's change programme. Performance against targets is assessed by line management, countersigning officers and a moderating committee chaired by the Chief Executive.
	As part of the 2002 Treasury Spending Review process, the Prison Service agreed to implement a benchmarking programme through which all prison establishments would be assessed over a 7-year period. This programme introduced additional recognition and reward processes for the best prisons within the public sector. High performing status is an annual award that recognises excellent performance through which a sum is made available for staff recognition. This can take the form of bonus payments to staff.
	The criteria for awarding Senior Civil Servants within the Home Office with bonus payments is set by the Prime Minister following independent advice from the Senior Salaries Review Body. The level of bonus payment takes into account a number of factors including individual performance against agreed priority business objectives and targets.

Cannabis Prosecutions

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions relating to the use, distribution, supply or possession of cannabis there were in each year since 2002.

Vernon Coaker: Available information relates to the number of persons found guilty or cautioned under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, of unlawful production, unlawful supply, possession with intent to supply unlawfully, unlawful possession, and unlawful import and export of cannabis from 2002 up to and including 2004.
	Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, police forces and other agencies. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
	
		
			  Persons( 1)  found guilty or cautioned for drug offences involving cannabis by type of offence, England and Wales, 2002 to 2004 
			  Type of offence  2002  2003  2004 
			 Unlawful production 1,940 2,640 2,480 
			 Unlawful supply 1,450 1,060 880 
			 Possession with intent to supply unlawfully 2,460 2,500 2,200 
			 Unlawful possession 78,230 77,500 45,490 
			 Unlawful import or export 600 340 320 
			 (1) A person who is found guilty of more than one different type of offence is counted against each type of offence under the most severe sentence or order.

Common Visa Offices

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed EU legislation for the establishment of common visa offices; and what its legal base is.

Liam Byrne: The draft Regulation (COM (2006) 269 final) amends the Common Consular Instructions for diplomatic and consular posts regarding the introduction of biometric visas and provisions for the organisation of the reception and processing of visa applications.
	The draft legislation is a development of part of the Schengen acquis in which the United Kingdom has chosen not to take part. The UK is therefore not taking part in the adoption of this legislation and is not bound by it or subject to its application.
	The legal base of this draft regulation derives from the treaty establishing the European Community; in particular article 62 (2) (b) (ii).

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 16 October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mrs Carmen Nesbeth.

John Reid: I wrote to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 12 December 2006.

Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines he has issued to his officials for time taken in responding to hon. Members' letters; and what the performance was against those guidelines in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office's published targets are to respond to 95 per cent. of all ministerial correspondence within 15 working days for the central Home Office, and 20 working days for Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) and Her Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS).
	The most recent statistics available are for the month of October 2006. These show that 97 per cent. of ministerial correspondence for the central Home Office was replied to within target. Percentages during the same period for HMPS and IND were 95 per cent. and 82 per cent. respectively. For the year 2006, up to the end of October, the average response rate within target for 2006 was 92 per cent. in the central Home Office, 96 per cent. in HMPS and 77 per cent. in IND.

Counter-terrorism Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when his review of the UK's counter-terrorism capacity is expected to report; and whether the report will be published;
	(2)  how many officials in his Department are employed in his Department's review of the UK's counter-terrorism capacity; and how many officials have been seconded to the review from other Departments;
	(3)  which  (a) official and  (b) Minister is leading his Department's review of the UK's counter-terrorism capacity;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the total cost of his Department's review of the UK's counter-terrorism capacity;
	(5)  how many officials from his Department have been appointed to liaise with HM Treasury's review of security and counter-terrorism across Government; and of what grade.

Tony McNulty: In the course of the autumn, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary led a review on behalf of the Prime Minister into our response to the threat from terrorism. The Home Secretary was supported in this work by a group of Ministers and officials from the relevant departments.

Crime Statistics

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the percentage of crimes committed in England and Wales by registered drug addicts.

Vernon Coaker: The register of drug addicts no longer exists. However, the recently published results from the first year of the Arrestee Survey provide information on the proportion of arrests which involve someone who reports using drugs. During the period October 2003 to September 2004 an estimated 57 per cent. of arrestees aged 17 and over reported having used a drug in the past month, while 28 per cent. said they had used heroin and/or crack and/or cocaine in the past month.

Crime Statistics

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) armed robberies and  (b) car thefts were recorded in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is given in the tables. Latest firearm offences statistics relate to 2004-05.
	
		
			  Table 1: Offences of robbery recorded by the police in Suffolk in which firearms were reported to have been used 
			   Number of offences 
			 2000-01 10 
			 2001-02(1) 10 
			 2002-03(2) 12 
			 2003-04 13 
			 2004-05 18 
			 (1) Figures may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002. (2) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Offences of theft of a motor vehicle recorded by the police in Suffolk 
			   Number of offences 
			 2001-02 1,693 
			 2002-03(1) 1,606 
			 2003-04 1,459 
			 2004-05 1,645 
			 2005-06 1,264 
			 (1) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.

Darfur

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many female Sudanese nationals from the Darfur region since 2003 have cited rape in their application for refugee status in the UK and been refused refugee status in the UK;
	(2)  how many Sudanese nationals from the Darfur region have successfully appealed since 2003 after being declined refugee status in the UK;
	(3)  how many Sudanese nationals who have unsuccessfully claimed asylum in the UK have been returned to the Darfur region since 2003;
	(4)  how many Sudanese nationals from the Darfur region have  (a) applied for,  (b) been granted and  (c) been refused refugee status in the UK since 2003.

Liam Byrne: Data from a specific area or region (of a country) of origin of asylum seekers are not collated centrally and are therefore not available, the requested information would be available by examination of individual case-files only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on asylum, by nationality, is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Data Protection

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will cease the practice of neither confirming nor denying the holding of data by the security services on individuals which is not covered by section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The intelligence and security agencies comply fully with the Data Protection Act 1998. It has been the policy of successive Governments to neither confirm nor deny in circumstances where necessary to protect national security.

Departmental Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department pursuant to the answer of30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 899W on Departmental energy, what the figure 62,505,257 kWh represents as a percentage of the total amount of energy consumed by the Home Office; and what plans his Department has to increase the amount of energy acquired from renewable sources.

Liam Byrne: Pursuant to the answers of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 899W, and 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 824W, in 2004-2005, the latest year for which figures have been published,17 per cent. of the electricity consumed by the Home Office was acquired from renewable sources. This figure exceeds the target laid down in the framework for sustainable development on the Government estate, which remains a commitment within the new sustainable operations targets announced by the Prime Minister in June this year, which requires Departments to source at least 10 per cent. of electricity from renewable sources by 31 March 2008.
	The Home Office continues to explore opportunities to further increase the amount of renewable electricity acquired from renewable sources both with suppliers and through self generation.

Departmental Pay Award

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the effective date is forthe annual pay award for his Department; and what the actual implementation date was in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The settlement date of a pay award is the effective date from which any pay changes occur. The implementation date is the date at which a pay award has been finalised and paid to the employee. The implementation date is variable because it is dependent upon factors such as gaining HM Treasury approval for pay spend and the completion of negotiations with employee representatives.
	For civil servants within the Home Office, the settlement date of pay award is 1 July. The following table shows the implementation dates for pay awards from 2002 to 2006.
	
		
			   Implementation Date 
			 2002 October 2002 
			 2003(1) July 2003 for pay progression 
			  January 2004 for revalorisation 
			 2004 September 2004 
			 2005 October and November 2005 
			 2006 July 2006 
			 (1 )The 2003 pay was a 2 stage pay award. 
		
	
	For civil servants in the Prison Service the following table shows the implementation dates for pay awards from 2002 to 2006.
	
		
			  Group  Year  Settlement date  Implementation date 
			 Operational Managers, Prison Officers and related grades (Phase I) 2002 1 January 2002 (1)January 2002 and January 2003 
			  2003 1 April 2003 April 2003 
			  2004 1 April 2004 April 2004 
			  2005 1 April 2005 April 2005 
			  2006 1 April 2006 April 2006-Prison Officers 
			May 2006-Operational 
			 
			 Administrative, Secretarial, Professional and Technical grades (non-phase 1 ) 2002 1 July 2002 February 2003 
			  2003 1 July 2003 February 2004 
			  2004 1 July 2004 November 2004 
			  2005 1 July 2005 December 2005 
			  2006 1 April 2006 Awaiting ballot 
			 
			 Industrials 2002 1 July 2002 February 2003 
			  2003 1 July 2003 February 2004 
			  2004 1 July2004 January 2005 
			  2005 1 July 2005 February 2006 
			  2006 1 April 2006 Awaiting ballot 
			 (1 )2002 was a 2 stage award. 
		
	
	For civil servants in the Identity Passport Service, the following table shows both the settlement and implementation dates for pay awards from 2002 to 2006.
	
		
			   Settlement date  Implementation date 
			 2002 1 October 2002 for pay progression December 2002 for pay progression 
			  1 January 2003 for revalorisation January 2003 for revalorisation. 
			 2003 1 October 2003 for pay progression December 2003 for pay progression 
			  1 January 2004 for revalorisation January 2004 for revalorisation 
			 2004 1 August 2004 for pay progression December 204 for pay progression 
			  1 January 2005 for revalorisation  
			 2005 1 August 2005 June 2006 
			 2006 1 August 2006 Awaiting ballot 
		
	
	For civil servants within the Criminal Record Bureaux the following table shows both the settlement and implementation dates for pay awards from 2002 to 2006.
	
		
			   Settlement date  Implementation date 
			 2002 1 October 2002 for pay progression December 2002 for pay progression 
			  1 January 2003 for revalorisation January 2003 for revalorisation 
			 2003 1 October 2003 for pay progression December 2003 for pay progression 
			  1 January 2004 for revalorisation January 2004 for revalorisation 
			 2004 1 August 2004 February 2005 
			 2005 1 August 2005 March 2006 
			 2006 1 July 2006 November 2006 
		
	
	For senior civil servants throughout the Home Office, the settlement date of pay award is 1 April. The following table shows the implementation dates for pay awards from 2002 to 2006.
	
		
			   Implementation date 
			 2002 November 2002 
			 2003 November 2003 
			 2004 August 2004 
			 2005 July 2005 
			 2006(1) July 2006 
			  November 2006 
			 (1 )The 2006 pay was a 2 stage award.

Departmental Staff

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what monitoring his Department has undertaken of its dispute resolution strategy;
	(2)  what steps  (a) the Department and  (b) its associated public bodies have taken to promote proportionate dispute resolution in connection with disputes involving them; and what (i) training and (ii) monitoring of staff has taken place in respect of such dispute resolution;
	(3)  what requests for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in respect of disputes involving  (a) the Department,  (b) personnel of the Department and  (c) bodies for which the Department is accountable to Parliament have been received by the Department; and what requests for ADR have been received by (i) the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, (ii) the National Offender Management Service and (iii) HM Prison Service;
	(4)  how many requests for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) have been  (a) agreed to,  (b) declined with reasons being given and  (c) declined without reasons being given by (i) his Department, (ii) the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, (iii) the National Offenders Management Service and (iv) HM Prison Service since 2001; and what review and monitoring of the response to ADR requests has been undertaken.

Liam Byrne: A new internal grievance procedure was introduced in January 2005 which is compliant with the Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004. All staff and managers have access to the procedures. The operation of this new policy in the central Home Office and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was reviewed in 2006. Before following the formal procedure, employees are required to attempt to resolve any grievances informally. The Home Office has a number of trained mediators who can act as an impartial third party to help members of staff reach agreement. Additional support and guidance for those handling grievances is provided by HR units.
	HM Prison Service has a similar grievance procedure but does not have a written dispute resolution strategy. However, they use alternative dispute resolution in a variety of litigation matters where legal advisers consider this to be a viable option. Establishments are also encouraged to use workplace mediation where appropriate, facilitated either by their staff care and welfare service (whose staff are appropriately trained) or by external organisations.
	Records of disputes are not held centrally, and the other information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what procedure is followed in respect of complaints and concerns about  (a) the Permanent Secretary,  (b) legal advisers,  (c) staff handling complaints and  (d) other staff in his Department; what the timescale is for dealing with each such complaint; and what the grade should be of the staff dealing with complaints in each case;
	(2)  how complaints and concerns about  (a) the Permanent Secretary,  (b) Ministerial Correspondence Unit staff,  (c) staff handling complaints,  (d) other staff,  (e) consultants working for his Department,  (f) his Department's legal advisers and  (g) persons who have held any of the above positions but no longer do so are recorded and monitored;
	(3)  what procedures ensure an independent and impartial handling and assessment of redress matters to those affected by misconduct by  (a) the Permanent Secretary,  (b) Ministerial Correspondence Unit staff,  (c) staff handling complaints,  (d) other staff,  (e) consultants working for his Department,  (f) departmental legal advisers,  (g) persons who have held any of the above positions but no longer do so and  (h) the Department and  (i) associated bodies of the Department.

Liam Byrne: Complaints made by a member of Home Office staff about another member of staff are dealt with under the internal Home Office grievance procedures, which are modelled on the provisions of the Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004. Complaints raised by members of staff in the Prison Service are dealt with under the procedures set out in Prison Service Order 8550 - Staff Grievance procedure. Complaints about the Permanent Secretary would be referred to the Cabinet Office. Complaints about those not directly employed by the Home Office would generally be referred to their employing organisation.
	Complaints or concerns about those no longer working for the Department may be investigated if the complaint has been made within three months of the alleged incident or if the allegations were of a serious nature.
	Responsibility for the investigation of internal complaints and allegations of misconduct rests with line managers. All investigations are carried out in accordance with Home Office guidance and procedures. A member of staff who is the subject of an investigation can seek the support of their trade union, staff support groups and the health and welfare services.
	Written complaints from members of the public are allocated to the appropriate unit in the central Home Office and the Prison Service and dealt with accordingly. If a member of public is dissatisfied with the handling of their complaint they can raise the case with the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.
	In the Immigration and Nationality Directorate the investigation of formal complaints made by members of the public is co-ordinated by the IND Complaints Unit and audited by the independent Complaints Audit Commission.
	The Home Office also has in place procedures for staff to raise concerns of possible wrongdoing or malpractice which could conflict with the standards laid down in the Civil Service Code

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which  (a) buildings and  (b) jobs illegal immigrants have been found to be working in his Department; and for how long.

Liam Byrne: The Department's records show that one member of staff of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate who was detected as not having valid leave to remain had been working as an assistant immigration officer at Heathrow airport between 2000-04. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to six years imprisonment. A member of Prison Service staff who was found to be working without valid leave to remain had been employed as an operational support grade and subsequently as a prison officer at Holme House between 2002-05. A further 12 contracted workers have been found to be working on Home Office premises illegally at various times between 2002-06. Information about the length of time they had been engaged by their employers is not available but they had all worked in buildings occupied by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in Croydon.

Departmental Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on statistics relating to the work of his Department in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: There is no definition of the term statistics relating to the work of the department and no centrally held information on either the volume or costs of statistics published each year on this basis.
	Estimates for the annual costs of National Statistics are contained in the relevant National Statistics Annual Report and Accounts, which are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1051
	Copies are also available in the Library for the reference of Members. The last year these were produced was 2004-05.

Deportation

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU citizens have been deported from the UK pursuant to section 3(5)b of the Immigration Act 1971 in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: Consideration to deport prisoners from European Economic Area (EEA) countries is made in accordance with the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006.
	The Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the Home Affairs Committee on 12 December to provide an update on progress in the deportation of foreign national prisoners. In this letter the Director General stated that, since April, over 1,600 foreign national prisoners had been deported or removed from the UK. Approximately 10 per cent. of these prisoners were EEA nationals. This figure has been obtained from internal management information.

DNA Database

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will break down by ethnic origin the number of people who had a DNA profile on the National DNA Database in each of the last12 months.

Joan Ryan: The information requested will be placed in the Library.

Drug Intervention Programme

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the specification is for drug testing devices used in his Department's Drug Intervention programme.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 18 December 2006
	The Cozart drug testing equipment was assessed against the criteria specified in the procurement notice advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union in 2003.

Drug-related Crime

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of crime in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) England and Wales was drug-related in each year since 1995.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Foreign Prisoners

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what types of crime foreign national prisoners have been sentenced in the UK in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: Information on the types of crimes for which foreign national offenders have been given custodial sentences resulting in detention in prison establishments in England and Wales for the years 2003 to 2005 can be found in the following table.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.
	
		
			  Immediate custodial sentenced receptions into prisons in England and Wales by offence group and nationality, 2003-05 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			   Foreign National  Not Recorded  UK National  Foreign National  Not Recorded  UK National  Foreign National  Not Recorded  UK National 
			 All 7,482 512 84,251 8,355 392 84,579 9,612 384 80,418 
			 Violence against the person 928 76 12,720 1,068 69 14,598 1,114 45 15,585 
			 Sexual offences 240 9 2,101 295 13 2,243 301 7 2,144 
			 Robbery 341 25 4,002 366 18 3,988 343 12 3,539 
			 Burglary 291 37 8,863 339 18 8,077 299 16 7,235 
			 Theft and handling 1,190 114 20,031 1,146 78 18,337 1,274 86 16,520 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,015 42 1,925 1,273 47 1,855 1,995 58 2,009 
			 Drug offences 1,326 43 5,766 1,298 36 5,819 1,441 30 5,589 
			 Motoring offences 1,073 77 14,652 1,189 40 13,093 1,266 49 11,011 
			 Other offences 979 83 12,728 1,301 63 15,204 1,511 79 15,908 
			 Offence not recorded 99 6 1,463 80 10 1,365 68 2 878 
			  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level

Foreign Prisoners

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer of9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 38, with which European countries he has discussed the repatriation of foreign prisoners.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The EU is currently considering a draft framework decision on prisoner transfer that is intended to speed up and simplify prisoner transfer arrangements within the European Union. Since9 October, Home Office officials have had five meetings in Brussels to discuss the terms of the draft framework decision.
	These meetings were attended by representatives of each member state. On 4 December my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary attended the Justice and Home Affairs Council at which the draft framework decision was discussed.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the UK action plan on human trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: It is our intention to publish the United Kingdom's action plan against human trafficking in early 2007.

Identity Cards and Passports

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the biometric information stored on passports is held on a central database operated by his Department.

Joan Ryan: The Passport Agency Support System (PASS) stores the facial biometric data of the passport holder. This facial biometric data is the same data that is stored in the contact-less chip on the passport and is a digital photographic image of the passport holder, as printed in the passport. This data is not being stored on any other database.

Illegal Alcohol Sales

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensed premises were issued penalties by  (a) police and  (b) local authorities for selling alcohol illegally in (i) Dudley, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: Local authorities have no power to issue penalties to licensed premises but are able to prosecute those who commit offences under the Licensing Act 2003 relating to the illegal sale of alcohol. Data on the number of defendants sentenced for offences related to the illegal sale of alcohol in (i) Dudley Local Criminal Justice Area (ii) the West Midlands police force area and England and Wales, for the years 1995-2005 are provided in the following table.
	Data for Scotland are the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and information on Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland office.
	
		
			  Offenders sentenced for offences related to selling alcohol in England and Wales, the West Midlands and Dudley magistrates courts, 1996-2005( 1,2) 
			   1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  England and Wales   
			  142 Offence by licensed person, etc  
			 Total offenders sentenced 317 360 376 298 193 161 207 495 665 814 
			  Of which:   
			 Absolute discharge 5 4 5 2 0 4 1 3 2 8 
			 Conditional discharge 44 44 48 35 36 34 37 71 72 77 
			 Fine 265 308 322 261 157 122 167 419 585 726 
			 Community sentence 3 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 
			 Otherwise dealt with 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 3 
			
			  143 Other offences against Intoxicating Liquor Laws  
			 Total offenders sentenced 48 65 74 53 23 28 18 30 36 53 
			  Of which:   
			 Absolute discharge 2 3 3 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 
			 Conditional discharge 8 7 14 5 4 3 2 5 9 11 
			 Fine 35 47 55 46 18 23 14 23 27 38 
			 Community sentence 1 6 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Immediate custody 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Otherwise dealt with 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			
			  West Midlands 
			  142 Offence by licensed person, etc   
			 Total offenders sentenced 13 10 9 24 11 2 6 23 44 64 
			  Of which:   
			 Absolute discharge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Conditional discharge 4 2 0 4 1 0 2 1 5 7 
			 Fine 9 8 9 20 10 2 4 22 39 55 
			 Otherwise dealt with 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			
			  143 Other offences against Intoxicating Liquor Laws   
			 Total offenders sentenced 1 2 2 4 1 0 2 2 2 0 
			  Of which:   
			 Conditional discharge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Fine 1 2 2 4 0 0 2 2 2 0 
			 Community sentence 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			
			  Dudley Local Criminal Justice Area   
			  142 Offence by licensed person, etc   
			 Total offenders sentenced 4 3 7 18 9 0 0 2 8 4 
			  Of which:   
			 Conditional discharge 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 
			 Fine 2 3 7 15 9 0 0 2 6 4 
			 (1 )These data are provided on the principal offence basis (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Immigration Detention Centres

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of places in the immigration detention estate was taken up by former prisoners whose sentences had expired on30 September 2006.

Liam Byrne: The director general of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will be writing to the Home Affairs Committee early next year regarding the progress being made in the deportation of foreign national prisoners. The director general will provide the Committee with the most accurate and robust information which the Department holds in this area.

Indefinite Leave to Remain

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it took on average to determine applications for indefinite leave to remain in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Individual Support Orders

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many individual support orders have been issued, broken down by  (a) area and  (b) year of issue;
	(2)  how much funding has been allocated to issuing individual support orders in each year since their introduction; and how much of that funding has been spent.

Tony McNulty: Individual support orders (ISOs) were introduced in May 2004 and courts are obliged to consider making one when making a stand alone antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) on a 10 to 17-year-old. We provided 500,000 to Youth Justice Board (YJB) in June 2005 to fund ISOs.
	Funding for this financial year and from now on is available through the 45 million uplift given to the Youth Justice Board as part of their youth prevention budget. The funding is allocated to youth offending teams based on a formula and they have submitted plans to the Youth Justice Board on how they plan to spend itsome have specific ISO schemes and others have looked to embed the work into Youth Inclusion Support Panels. Funding for individual support orders is not broken down by local authority areas.
	A table giving the number of ISOs issued by magistrates courts, in addition to an antisocial behaviour order, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, up to 30 December 2005 (latest available) follows.
	
		
			  The number of individual support orders( 1)  given at the magistrates court, in addition to an antisocial behaviour order, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, by Criminal Justice System (CJS) area and year, from 1 May2004 to 31 December 2005 (latest available). 
			  CJS area  2004  2005  Total 
			 Cleveland  1 1 
			 Dorset  1 1 
			 Durham 2  2 
			 Gloucestershire  1 1 
			 Greater London  9 9 
			 Greater Manchester 1 5 6 
			 Hampshire  1 1 
			 Humberside 1 1 2 
			 Kent  2 2 
			 Norfolk  8 8 
			 Northumbria  1 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 3 3 6 
			 West Midlands  1 1 
			 West Yorkshire  3 3 
			  England  7  37  44 
			 
			 Gwent  3 3 
			 South Wales  2 2 
			  Wales5  5 
			 
			  England and Wales  7  42  49 
			 (1) Available at the magistrates' court only for juveniles (10-17) with ASBOs issued on application. Commencement date 1 May 2004.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Internet: Extremist Groups

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the use of the internet by extremist groups; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The new offences of 'Encouragement to Terrorism' and 'Dissemination of Terrorist Publications', as set out in the Terrorism Act 2006 prohibits the publishing of material that encourages terrorism, or is wholly or mainly of assistance to terrorists. They also cover the dissemination of this material by e-mail, or other electronic means.
	The Act allows for a notice-and-takedown procedure to allow the police to issue notices to individuals responsible for websites where unlawful material has been published, ensuring that they either remove this material, or are seen to have endorsed it.
	In addition, we are working with our partners in industry to continue pursuing a self-regulatory approach, allowing for the fast and responsive removal of any illegal material from the internet. In practice, where a UK ISP is advisedusually by law enforcementthat they are hosting material which is illegal, they have an excellent record in removing it.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many information technology projects within the responsibility of his Department, its agencies and their predecessors have been cancelled since 1997; what the total cost was of each project at cancellation; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: There have been no information technology projects valued at more than 5 million cancelled by the Home Office or its predecessors since 1997.
	Due to the large number of IT projects undertaken by the Home Office it has not been feasible to centrally collate such information relating to projects valued at less than 5 million.

Licence Breaches

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the circumstances were of the licence breaches which necessitated 12 level three offenders and 51 level two offenders under the multi-agency public protection panel and multi-agency risk assessment conference management being returned to custody in South Wales in 2005-06.

Gerry Sutcliffe: South Wales probation area advise that, of the 12 level three offenders, 10 were recalled due to a failure to comply with the requirements of their licence and two were recalled following offending whilst on licence. Of the 51 level two offenders recalled to prison, 33 were recalled due to a failure to comply with the requirements of their licence and 18 were recalled following offending while on licence.

Membership of Organisations

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the organisations of which his Department's staff are required to declare membership.

Liam Byrne: Staff in the Home Office are not required to declare membership of any named non-proscribed organisation. Prison Service staff must not be a member of the British National Party, Combat 18, the National Front or any other group or organisation with racist philosophy, aims, principles or policies.

Miles Per Hour 2006 Show

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department pursuant to the answer of29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 777W, how many hours of police staff time were used in  (a) organising and  (b) manning the Metropolitan police traffic operational command unit's exhibit at the Miles Per Hour 2006 show at Earl's Court.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

Ministerial Visits

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Ministers in his Department have visited Leicester in the last year; and where they visited in Leicester.

Liam Byrne: My hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker), the Under-Secretary of State, visited Leicester on12 July 2006. He visited the Leicestershire constabulary force headquarters.

Mr. Litvinenko

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether  (a) the Security Service and  (b) the Secret Intelligence Service warned Mr. Litvinenko of a threat to his safety;
	(2)  whether Mr. Litvinenko was notified of a threat to his safety by  (a) the police,  (b) his Department and  (c) another Government agency;

Tony McNulty: holding answer 30 November 2006
	It has been the standard practice of successive Governments not to comment on threats to individuals.

National Identity Register

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what means checks on identity within the National Identity Register will be made; and what technology systems have been procured for this process.

John Reid: Checks on identity against information held in the National Identity Register may be made under sections 12, 15 and 17 to 21 of the Identity Cards Act 2006. These relate to the provision of information with an individual's consent to accredited private sector organisations and the provision of information to public authorities for purposes such as the prevention and detection of crime and the efficient and effective provision of public services.
	It is planned to develop the range of identity checking services over time, to maximise benefits for users of the scheme. In support of that development, we will consider the range of technology procurement options that are available, selecting the procurement routes which offer the most effective delivery in balancing factors such as cost and lead times. No system has yet been procured specifically for identity card checking.

National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to makethe reporting of attacks one of the functions of the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre.

Tony McNulty: Those organisations which run the critical services within the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) are responsible for detecting attacks on their systems.
	Government CNI organisations are obliged to report attacks to the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC), and NISCC encourages private sector organisations to do the same.
	NISCC provides the best possible advice on protective security measures to minimise the risk of electronic attack against the CNI.
	It is more valuable for NISCC to report on vulnerabilities, threats and mitigation techniques.

National Non-emergency Phone Number

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost has been of the trial schemes of a national non-emergency telephone number; and when he plans to publish a report of the trials.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the letter I sent him on 4 December 2006.

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding will be made available to regional offender managers under the National Offender Management Service for the financial year 2007-08.

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget will be for regional offender managers under the National Offender Management Services structure for 2007-08.

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he expects the budget to be for regional offender managers under the National Offender Management Services structure in 2007-08.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Regional Offender Managers' (ROMs') funding for 2007-08 is not finalised. The indicative allocation for 2007-08 for the ROMs' direct expenditure is 11.646 million.
	The ROMs will agree the level of resources for Prisons (excluding high security prisons and private sector prisons) and Probation Boards, through the Service Level Agreement process. These figures are not yet available.

Passports

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports his Department lost in each of the last 10 years.

Joan Ryan: The only information on passports relates to applications made under managed migration routes for variation of leave, work permits and citizenship.
	Management information for all of these workstreams is only available for the last three years. This indicates that the number lost in 2003-04 was 588, in 2004-05 was 452 and in 2005-06 was 386. We are working hard to drive these numbers down further.
	In the reply given to the hon. Member for Sheffield Hallam, (Mr. Clegg) on 13 July 2006, the 2005-06 figure for the number of passports lost in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was quoted as 288. This figure was provisional and subject to changesubsequent revisions brought this total to 386, which remains a reduction on the 2004-05 figure.
	The data is not provided under national statistics protocols. It has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.

Police

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cautions were issued in each division of the West Mercia constabulary area in each of the last five years, broken down by category of offence.

Tony McNulty: Data from the courts proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of cautions issued in the West Mercia constabulary area are in the following table. We are unable to provide data for each division of the West Mercia constabulary area, as the data are not collected to that level of detail.
	
		
			  Number of cautions issued for all offences in the West Mercia police force area, 2001 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			  Offence Type  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Violence against the person 345 532 506 632 765 
			 Sexual offences 39 30 56 60 65 
			 Burglary 233 174 172 123 190 
			 Robbery 10 7 4 8 7 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 1,724 1,613 1,471 1,673 1,818 
			 Fraud and forgery 128 97 124 119 188 
			 Criminal damage 58 54 69 50 74 
			 Drug offences 1,043 1,116 1,004 723 745 
			 Other indictable offences 135 131 150 109 137 
			 Summary offences (excluding motoring) 2,670 2,603 2,695 3,161 3,758 
			 Total 6,385 6,357 6,251 6,658 7,747 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Police

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 405W, on police, what the total police officer strength was in each year since 1997 for  (a) England and  (b) Gloucestershire; and what the foot/car/beat police officer strength was for (i) England and (ii) Gloucestershire in each year for which data are available.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The available data are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Police officer strength in Gloucestershire as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March (FTE)( 1) 
			  31 March:  Total strength  Foot/car/beat patrol( 2) 
			 1997 1,133 (3)n/a 
			 1998 1,104 (3)n/a 
			 1999 1,104 (3)n/a 
			 2000 1,114 (3)n/a 
			 2001 1,173 (3)n/a 
			 2002 1,183 (3)n/a 
			 2003 1,227 593 
			 2004 1,284 612 
			 2005 1,291 614 
			 2006 1,289 456 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent figures rounded to the nearest whole number. This figure excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. (3) Data prior to 2002-03 are not available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police officer strength in England as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006 (FTE)( 1) 
			  31 March:  Total strength  Foot/car/beat patrol( 2) 
			 1997 118,455 (3)n/a 
			 1998 118,140 (3)n/a 
			 1999 117,195 (3)n/a 
			 2000 115,324 (3)n/a 
			 2001 116,547 (3)n/a 
			 2002 120,075 (3)n/a 
			 2003 124,157 57,320 
			 2004 129,688 58,782 
			 2005 131,949 57,587 
			 2006 132,107 55,291 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent figures rounded to the nearest whole number. This figure excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. (3) Data prior to 2002-03 are not available.

Police

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cautions were issued in  (a) Essex and  (b) the Mid-Essex Division of Essex constabulary area for (i) violence against the person, (ii) theft and handling stolen goods, (iii) sexual offences, (iv) criminal damage, (v) robbery and (vi) fraud and forgery in (A) 1997, (B) 2003 and (C) 2004.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 December 2006
	Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of cautions issued in Essex police force area for the requested offence types in 1997, 2003 and 2004 are inthe following table. We are unable to provide data for the Mid-Essex Division of Essex constabulary area, as the data are not collected to that level of detail.
	
		
			  Number of persons cautioned in the Essex police force area for selected offence types in 1997,2003 and 2004( 1, 2) 
			  Offence types  1997  2003  2004 
			 Violence against the person 559 387 632 
			 Sexual offences 52 31 34 
			 Robbery 9 3 2 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 2,202 1,181 1,354 
			 Fraud and forgery 150 95 111 
			 Criminal damage 72 62 25 
			 Total 3,044 1,759 2,158 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Police

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and (c) England in each year since 1991; and how many there were per 100,000 of the general population in each area in each year.

Tony McNulty: The available data are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Police Officer Strength and Police Officer Strength (FTE)( 1)  per 100,000 Population( 2)  as at 31 March 1991 to 31 March 2006 
			   1991  1992  1993  1994 
			   Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,873 191 2,898 192 2,910 192 2,914 192 
			 South West 9,573 204 9,663 205 9,694 205 9,667 203 
			 England 119,033 248 119,621 248 119,365 247 119,365 247 
		
	
	
		
			   1995  1996  1997  1998 
			   Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,877 188 2,899 190 2,865 186 2,962 192 
			 South West 9,589 201 9,495 198 9,424 195 9,508 196 
			 England 118,827 246 118,405 244 118,455 243 118,140 242 
		
	
	
		
			   1999  2000  2001  2002 
			   Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,887 186 2,841 181 2,934 186 3,053 192 
			 South West 9,420 193 9,313 189 9,575 194 9,870 199 
			 England 117,195 239 115,324 234 116,547 236 120,075 242 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005  2006( 3) 
			   Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population  Total Officers  Total Officer per 100,000 population 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,202 200 3,283 203 3,369 207 3,493 214 
			 South West 10,152 203 10,618 211 10,716 211 10,875 215 
			 England 124,157 249 129,688 259 131,949 262 132,107 262 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent figures given to the nearest whole number. Excludes staff on career breaks or maternity or paternity leave.  (2) Population data are taken from ONS mid year estimates from mid-1991 to mid-2005.  (3 )Population data for mid-2006 are not available yet, therefore mid-2005 figures have been used for calculation.

Police

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations there were in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) Devon,  (c) the South West and  (d) England in each year since 1995.

Tony McNulty: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the Chief Officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.
	The figures on police station numbers is not collected on a county basis but by police force area. Therefore, the information provided is for Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, South West police forces and England police forces (excluding Welsh police forces).
	Information provided by the forces is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of police stations in (a) Devon and Cornwall (b) South West and (c) England since March 1995 
			  As at March:  (a) Devon and Cornwall( 1)  (b)( ) South West( 1,2)  (c) England 
			 1995  184 1,373 
			 1996  168 1,341 
			 1997  152 1,314 
			 1998  152 1,282 
			 1999  148 1,297 
			 2000  135 1,294 
			 2001  129 1,274 
			 2002 61 191 1,494 
			 2003 61 191 1,541 
			 2004 61 193 1,531 
			 2005 61 194 1,525 
			 2006 61 192 1,487 
			 (1 )Devon and Cornwall did not provide any data prior to 2002 and amended their figures in September 2003. (2) South West includes: Avon and Somerset(3) Devon and Cornwall Dorset Gloucestershire Wiltshire (3) Avon and Somerset amended figures in September 2004.

Police

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables operate under private sponsorship arrangements.

Tony McNulty: None.

Police

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the  (a) Metropolitan and  (b) City of London police forces were called in to handle an incident on a (i) Transport for London bus and (ii) Transport for London Underground train in 2006.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available centrally as statistics are not collected for those locations.

Police: Vehicles

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles each police force in England and Wales owns, broken down by  (a) category and  (b) value.

Tony McNulty: The information is not collected centrally. This is a matter for individual chief officers of police, who are responsible for the effective use of police resources.

Police Finance

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much per capita funding was given by his Department to Avon and Somerset police for  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; and what the overall figure was for police forces in England and Wales in each year.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	We do not distribute grant to police authorities purely on the basis of population. The police funding formula uses a range of socio-demographic data to reflect the relative needs of each authority. Grant allocations also take into account the relative resources of each authority. Grant allocations are stabilised by damping changes to limit year-on-year variations.
	
		
			  Government grant funding( 1)  per head of population( 2) 
			   Funding per head of population 
			  Police authority  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 125.51 126.25 
			 Total England and Wales(3) 163.65 169.05 
			 (1) Government funding includes general grant (Home Office police grant, DCLG/Welsh Assembly government revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates). It also includes specific grants: crime fighting fund, rural policing fund, basic command unit funding, community support officer funding (including in 2005-06 round 1 of the neighbourhood policing fund), airwave, DNA expansion programme, special priority payments and capital grants. (2) Source for resident population figures: Department for Communities and Local Government and Welsh Assembly government as used in the calculation of the police funding settlements. (3) City of London not included.

Police and Support Officers

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) civilian police support officers were stationed in the Sunderland city council area in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: Data for the Sunderland city council area are not available. The available data for the Sunderland basic command unit and for the Northumbria police force are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Police officer and police community support officer strength (FTE) for Northumbria police force as at 31 March 1997 and 31 March 2006 
			   As at 31 March 1997  As at 31 March 2006 
			 Police Officers(1) 3,677 3,983 
			 Police Community Support Officers(2) n/a 129 
			 (1) FTE figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Comparative measure which excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) FTE figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data are not available prior to 2002-03. n/a = not available 
		
	
	
		
			  Police officer and police community support officer strength (FTE) for Sunderland basic command unit as at 31 March 1997 and latest available dates 
			  As at 31 March 1997 As at 30 June 2005 As at 31 March 2006 
			 Police Officers(1) n/a  673 
			 Police Community Support Officers(2) n/a 30  
			 (1) FTE figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Data are not available prior to 2002-03. Latest available figures are as at 31 March 2006. (2) FTE figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data are not available prior to 2002-03. Data collated and published by Police Human Resources Unit. These data were provided by the force and do not form part of National Statistics. Latest available figures are as at 30 June 2005, data for 2005-06 are currently being validated. n/a = not available

Prison Service

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been paid in the form of compensation by HM Prison Service in each year since 1997; and for what reasons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 7 December 2006
	The Home Office contests compensation claims and the majority of claims are successfully defended. Where the Home Office loses, the following table shows the amount of compensation paid to prisoners, staff and third parties since 2004-05. These details are based on figures collated in Prison Service headquarters. Figures exclude Employment Tribunal, death in custody and National Offender Management Service litigation. Statistics prior to 2004-05 were not recorded centrally.
	
		
			  Amount of compensation paid to prisoners, staff and third parties since 2004-05 
			  Financial year  Total () 
			 2004-05 4,596,122 
			 2005-06 8,964,050 
			 2006-07 (at 30 November 2006 and provisional) 3,708,827

Prison Service

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the results of the latest Prison Service staff survey.

John Reid: The Prison Service staff survey is regarded as an internal, management information document to help the Prison Service Management Board assess staff views and consider where management action might be appropriate. There are no plans to publish the results of the survey. The findings from the survey are made available to staff, both on the Prison Service intranet site, and in hard copy.

Prisoner Education

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with  (a) prison governors and  (b) the Prison Officers Association on prisoners' access to education courses; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 29 November 2006
	I am not aware of any formal discussions with the Prison Governors Association or the Prison Officers Association on the subject of prisoners' access to education courses.

Prisons

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of security arrangements at Ford prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 27 November 2006
	Considerable progress in developing and improving security arrangements at the establishment has taken place at Ford prison over the last few years. A full security audit will take place in March 2007.

Prisons

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that children and young people held in prisons have adequate access to  (a) physical exercise and  (b) outdoor activities.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Youth Justice Board has the responsibility for commissioning custodial places for young people. Funding allocated to the Prison Service by the YJB and the Learning and Skills Council aims to deliver, in accordance with standards set by those bodies, a physical education programme that meets each young person's individual needs and abilities; and also aims to ensure each young person, weather permitting, receives access to sufficient outside activities.

Prisons

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in Thames Valley Police have been  (a) breathalysed,  (b) arrested for drunk driving and  (c) given a caution for drink driving in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: The statistical information relating to drink-driving offences committed by Thames Valley police officers is not held centrally.

Prisons

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 292W, on prisons, what the  (a) original offence was for which they were convicted,  (b) The length of their original sentence,  (c) the amount of their sentence they had completed at the point of transfer to Leyhill and  (d) the expected time to be served at Leyhill before release for each prisoner listed as having transferred to Leyhill in October 2006 on an out of area placement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: To provide this information would require detailed examination of the files of each individual prisoner and this could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of11 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 835-36, on prisons, what criteria were used to establish those prisons with an overriding need to improve the quality of their clinical drug services; and what assessment he made of HMP Peterborough against those criteria.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The prisons were selected according to the following criteriaa spread between geographical areas; the inclusion of both male and female prisons; and the inclusion of both public and contracted prisons. After this, prisons were chosen where the balance of evidence, from the opinions of those clinicians who best know the field, showed that the quality of clinical drug services was especially in need of improvement. This was not the assessment given to HMP Peterborough's clinical drug services.

Prisons

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 291W, on prisons, how many of the prisoners transferred to Leyhill open prison were in each security category; and for what crime or crimes each prisoner was convicted.

Gerry Sutcliffe: To provide this information would require detailed examination of the files of each individual prisoner and this could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Drug-testing

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the mandatory drug testing rates were for each residential unit at HM Prison Pentonville in each of the last 18 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 18 December 2006
	Reliable comparison of mandatory drug testing data can only be made at prison level and above. Where data is available at wing level, this is insufficiently robust to allow meaningful comparison. The random mandatory drug testing level reported by HMP Pentonville in 2005-06 was 18.3 per cent.

Public Appointments

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

Liam Byrne: One former Minister, who has served in Government since May 1997, has been appointed to an executive NDPBS since May 1997. He is David Lock, who was appointed to the Service Authorities for the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service from 1 April 2002 to 31 October 2003.
	The answer does not include NDPBs that were formerly part of the Home Office, but are now the responsibility of another Government Department.

Refugee Council

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department gave to the Refugee Council in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 December 2006
	The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) provides grant funding to the Refugee Council for providing services to asylum seekers. The services provided range from induction for new asylum seekers to an advisory role for dispersed or unaccompanied minor asylum seekers together with assistance in integration for successful applicants. In addition the IND recognise their responsibilities under the compact with the voluntary sector and pay a core grant to the Refugee Council. The total amounts paid for each of the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2005-06 10.6 
			 2004-05 10.8 
			 2003-04 11.1 
			 2002-03 12.5 
			 2001-02 11.8

Resident Co-ordinators

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding is available from his Department to help  (a) local authorities and  (b) crime and disorder reduction partnerships employ resident co-ordinators to reduce anti-social behaviour in communities.

Tony McNulty: One of the main ways in which the Home Office provides funding to local areas for crime reduction and community safety is through the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF). The fund was rolled out to all local authorities in England in 2005 and for 2006-07 the fund totals approximately 220 million.
	The SSCF is aimed at tackling crime, drugs and antisocial behaviour, empowering communities and improving the condition of streets and public spaces, prioritising the most deprived areas. As part of delivering this, local authorities and crime and disorder reduction partnerships are encouraged to use this funding to employ antisocial behaviour coordinators.

Road Crash Victims

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the Home Office pilot studies of face-to-face support for road crash victims.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Office of Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) has commissioned research examining three OCJR funded pilot schemesin Bedfordshire, Bradford and Calderdale, and Merseysidedelivering support services to victims of road traffic incidents. The main aims of the study were to describe the services available to victims and the support received, and to provide recommendations and guidelines on good practice. Research findings from the project will be published in the new year.

Road Crash Victims

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support services are available for road crash victims.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Support services available for road crash victims include the BrakeCare guide for bereaved families and friends. This has been funded by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform since 2003 and is provided to families by police officers following a road crash.
	The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime includes an obligation on the police to provide close relatives of a victim of road death with timely information about their case and an enhanced service.
	The core funding provided to Victim Support allows them to provide a Witness Service in all Crown and magistrates courts. If a road traffic incident involves a court case, the victim or their family can access this support.
	Other voluntary groups, including Brake, RoadPeace and the Campaign Against Drinking and Driving, also provide support and advice to serious road crash victims.

Road Safety

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was levied in motoring fines  (a) in total and  (b) excluding speed camera penalties in each region in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the total amount of motoring fines ordered to be paid broken down by Government Official Regions in England and Wales from 1997 to 2004 (latest available) is given in the tables. The figures relate only to fines imposed by the courts.
	Information on the amounts of fines levied as a result of motoring fixed penalty notices is not collected centrally.
	2005 data will be available in 2007.
	
		
			  Table A: Total amount of court imposed fines for motoring offences, by Government Official Regions, England and Wales, 1997-2004 
			   million 
			  Government Official Regions  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 North East 3.692 3.807 4.317 4.490 4.022 4.027 3.893 4.190 
			 North West 21.518 20.739 19.564 20.101 15.921 15.407 17.698 17.959 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 12.003 11.349 11.273 10.328 9.110 8.145 10.348 12.690 
			 East Midlands 11.338 11.765 11.592 10.292 9.603 9.862 13.139 14.359 
			 West Midlands 15.669 15.171 13.892 13.458 11.415 13.096 15.069 16.743 
			 East 12.984 12.668 12.204 10.630 9.498 10.167 11.237 11.967 
			 London 18.295 15.625 13.868 12.471 11.584 11.931 13.891 15.706 
			 South East 18.752 17.820 15.922 16.306 14.880 15.373 16.840 17.127 
			 South West 11.904 11.725 10.507 11.033 10.377 11.103 13.237 13.588 
			 Wales 7.963 7.927 7.378 7.203 6.106 6.889 7.795 7.828 
			 Total England and Wales 134.119 128.596 120.517 116.311 102.516 106.000 123.146 132.157 
			  Notes:  1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system currently being implemented by the Department for Constitutional Affairs reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated.  2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Total amount of court imposed fines for motoring offences (excluding offences detected by camera), by Government Official Regions, England and Wales, 1997-2004 
			   million 
			  Government Official Regions  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 North East 3.633 3.657 4.168 4.220 3.781 3.712 3.621 3.778 
			 North West 21.401 20.577 19.369 19.642 15.538 15.033 17.120 17.543 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 11.907 11.242 11.019 10.155 8.948 8.045 10.292 12.530 
			 East Midlands 11.232 11.657 11.194 9.955 9.128 9.239 11.788 13.131 
			 West Midlands 15.654 15.158 13.700 13.166 11.099 12.853 14.692 16.240 
			 East 12.709 12.142 11.608 10.178 8.708 9.031 10.237 11.179 
			 London 18.036 15.268 13.579 12.214 11.070 11.414 13.452 15.263 
			 South East 18.451 17.265 15.482 15.949 14.298 14.779 15.992 16.563 
			 South West 11.240 10.986 9.852 10.480 9.642 10.648 12.131 12.418 
			 Wales 7.957 7.874 7.112 6.951 5.793 6.467 7.248 7.103 
			 Total England and Wales 132.221 125.826 117.083 112.910 98.006 101.221 116.574 125.746 
			  Notes:  1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system currently being implemented by the Department for Constitutional Affairs reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated.  2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Safer Neighbourhood Teams

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding Safer Neighbourhood teams in London.

Tony McNulty: There have been 18 parliamentary questions on Safer Neighbourhoods in London since the programme began its phased roll out in April 2004.

Strip Search

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders were subject to a strip search in each of the last five years, broken down by institution; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to tackle attempts to support terrorism in the UK via the internet.

Tony McNulty: The new offences of 'Encouragement to Terrorism' and 'Dissemination of Terrorist Publications', as set out in the Terrorism Act 2006 prohibits the publishing of material that encourages terrorism, or is wholly or mainly of assistance to terrorists. They also cover the dissemination of this material by e-mail, or other electronic means.
	The Act allows for a notice-and-takedown procedure to allow the police to issue notices to individuals responsible for websites where unlawful material has been published, ensuring that they either remove this material, or are seen to have endorsed it.
	In addition, we are working with our partners in industry to continue pursuing a self-regulatory approach, allowing for the fast and responsive removal of any illegal material from the internet. In practice, where a UK ISP is advisedusually by law enforcementthat they are hosting material which is illegal, they have an excellent record in removing it.

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals arrested in connection with terrorist crimes in the last 10 years have subsequently been charged.

Tony McNulty: Details of the numbers of those charged are contained in the following table. Statistics compiled from police and Home Office records show that from January 1996 to 18 February 2001, 317 people were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989. Of these 19 individuals were charged under the Act and 128 were charged under other legislation.
	Between 11 September 2001 and 30 September 2006, statistics compiled from police records show that there have been 1,113 arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000. Of these 104 people have been charged under the Act, 100 have been charged under the Act and other legislation and 182 have been charged under other legislation. We do not hold the relevant information for 18 February 2001 to 10 September 2001.
	
		
			  Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provision) Act 1989 
			   Number of persons charged under the Acts  Number of persons charged under other legislation 
			 1996 2 15 
			 1997 5 7 
			 1998 3 5 
			 1999 0 84 
			 2000(1) 9 17 
			 (1) This covers the first seven weeks of 2001 (up to 18 February 2001). 
		
	
	
		
			  Terrorism Act 2000 
			   Number of Persons charged under the Act  Number of persons charged under the Act and other legislation  Number of Persons charged under other legislation 
			 2001(1) 4 3 11 
			 2002 29 8 44 
			 2003 24 29 54 
			 2004 9 17 26 
			 2005 8 22 33 
			 2006(2) 30 21 14 
			 (1) This is from 11 September 2001.  (2) This is up to 30 September 2006

Tilon Number Plate Recognition

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward measures to require insurance companies to provide details of drivers' insurance details for the use on the police car Tilon number plate recognition system.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 6 December 2006
	The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 and the Disclosure of Vehicle Insurance Information Regulations 2005, made under s 153, require the Motor Insurers' Information Centre to make available to the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) information on vehicles the use of which was but is no longer insured. PITO processes this information for use by the police.

Westminster City Council

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will respond to the Leader of Westminster City council's request for an urgent meeting to discuss the issue of A8 nationals sleeping rough in central London.

Liam Byrne: Officials from the Home Office have met with the Department for Communities and Local Government, Westminster City council and other interested parties to discuss this issue. A positive outcome from these meetings is that the Department for Communities and Local Government has agreed to provide additional funding of 100,000 to Westminster City council to continue the work they have started in respect of A8 nationals. The Home Office is considering whether it too can provide some financial support in the 2007-08 financial year.

Wheel Clamping

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of a mandatory scheme for regulating the behaviour of wheel clamping operators  (a) on private land and  (b) elsewhere; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing regulations.

Vernon Coaker: In January 2004 the Home Office published a full regulatory impact assessment entitled Regulations to implement the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (the 2001 Act) in respect of Door Supervisors and Vehicle Immobilisers which considered the merits of a mandatory scheme for regulating wheel-clamping operators in the private security industry. This publication is available on the Security Industry Authority's (SIA) website at:
	http://www.the-sia.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2AE9A564-0443-4E47-AFCF-95BF8820A2B7/0/sia_ds_vi_ria.pdf.
	This covered individual vehicle immobilisers operating on private land where wheel-clamping is not governed by the Road Traffic Act 1991, as this was the scope defined by the 2001 Act. Licensing for these vehicle immobilisers was rolled out in February 2005. The Home Office is keeping the situation under review and will be formally assessing the effectiveness of this licensing work in due course.
	The Department for Transport is considering the results of a recent consultation on regulations and statutory guidance to be made under Part six of the Traffic Management Act 2004, including the regulation of wheel-clamping activity on public land, and hopes to lay new regulations in Parliament in early 2007.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated  (a) on-flows and  (b) off-flows for incapacity benefits are for each year to 2019-20.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for BurySt. Edmunds (Mr. Ruffley) on 8 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1630W.

Benefits

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Cleethorpes constituency are in receipt of winter fuel allowance.

James Purnell: In winter 2005-06 there were 14,990 households in the Cleethorpes constituency that received a winter fuel payment. We expect the number to be similar this winter.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	 Source:
	Information Directorate 100 per cent. sample.

Benefits

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Leeds West constituency and  (b) Leeds have received the winter allowance for pensioners in each year since it was introduced.

James Purnell: Information relating to winter fuel payments for the winters of 1997-98 and 1998-99 is not available. The information from winter 1999-2000 is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Leeds, West constituency 
			   Payments made 
			 1999-2000 13,870 
			 2000-01 14,920 
			 2001-02 14,790 
			 2002-03 14,680 
			 2003-04 14,480 
			 2004-05 14,040 
			 2005-06 13,890 
		
	
	
		
			  Leeds local authority 
			   Payments made 
			 1999-2000 121,930 
			 2000-01 133,200 
			 2001-02 132,990 
			 2002-03 133,000 
			 2003-04 133,210 
			 2004-05 130,960 
			 2005-06 131,020 
			  Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Local authorities and parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.  Source: Information Directorate 100 per cent. sample.

Benefits

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in the Chelmsford local authority area were in receipt of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) council tax benefit in each year since 1996; and how many recipients in each case were (i) pensioner and (ii) non-pensioner households.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) recipients by age in the Chelmsford local authority area 
			   Housing benefit  Council tax benefit 
			   Total recipients  Recipients aged 60 and over  Recipients aged under 60  Total recipients  Recipients aged 60 and over  Recipients aged 60 
			 May 1996 7,180   9,200   
			 May 1997 6,920   9,210   
			 May 1998 6,610   8,340   
			 May 1999 6,450   8,140   
			 May 2000 6,080   7,620   
			 May 2001 5,990   7,430   
			 May 2002 5,790   7,190   
			 May 2003 5,590   7,190   
			 May 2004 5,670 2,570 3,110 7,020 3,690 3,330 
			 May 2005 6,330 2,670 3,660 7,850 4,020 3,830 
			 May 2006 6,530 2,700 3,830 8,280 4,350 3,920 
			  Notes: 1.  = nil 2. It is only possible to provide the information regarding HB and CTB with an age spilt from May 2004, as this information was not collected before this date. Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent caseload stock-count taken in May 2006.

Benefits

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Great Britain and  (b) Boston and Skegness constituency were in receipt of each benefit administered by his Department (i) at the last date for which figures are available and (ii) on the same date in each of the previous 10 years; and how much was spent on each benefit in (A) Great Britain and (B) Boston and Skegness constituency in each year.

James Plaskitt: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants in  (a) Great Britain,  (b) each region and  (c) each London borough did not receive the full child support payments they were entitled to in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants in (a) Great Britain (b) each region and (c) each London borough did not receive the full child support payments they were entitled to in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
	Table 1 attached gives the number of cases with an assessed/calculated maintenance liability that was not paid in full by the non-resident parent via the Agency's collection service in respect of the qualifying child or children in each month from October 2005 to September 2006. Tables 2 and 3 provide the same data by each Government region and each London borough.
	It is worth noting that the tables contain cases where the non-resident parents have paid some of the maintenance liability they have for the financial support of their child or children, but not all of it. In the quarter ending September 2006:
	in 60 per cent of cases where the non-resident parent was liable to pay maintenance, either the non-resident parent made a payment via the collection service or a Maintenance Direct arrangement was in place.
	in those cases where the non-resident parent was paying via the collection service, the amount paid was, on average, 88 per cent of the maintenance due.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of cases with an assessed/calculated maintenance liability which was not paid in full by the non-resident parent via the Agency's collection service, Great Britain, October 2005 to September 2006. These figures are for cases held on both computer systems (CSCS and CS2) 
			   Number 
			 October 2005 373,900 
			 November 2005 374,100 
			 December 2005 405,200 
			 January 2006 380,400 
			 February 2006 390,200 
			 March 2006 407,000 
			 April 2006 394,200 
			 May 2006 398,100 
			 June 2006 416,500 
			 July 2006 396,800 
			 August 2006 402,800 
			 September 2006 423,800 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: The number of cases with an assessed/calculated maintenance liability which was not paid in full by the non-resident parent via the Agency's collection service, by Government office region, October 2005 to September 2006. These figures are for cases held on both computer systems (CSCS and CS2) 
			   October 2005  November 2005  December 2005  January 2006  February 2006  March 2006 
			 North East 22,100 21,900 24,300 21,900 23,000 24,300 
			 North West 52,400 52,400 56,800 52,500 53,100 55,300 
			 Yorks/Humber 35,500 35,800 38,900 36,100 37,500 39,200 
			 East Midlands 25,200 24,800 27,500 25,800 27,200 28,300 
			 West Midlands 34,400 34,600 37,300 34,900 36,300 38,600 
			 Eastern 29,100 29,400 31,400 29,800 30,900 32,000 
			 London 35,400 35,600 37,700 37,100 37,700 38,600 
			 South East 47,900 47,800 51,200 49,000 49,800 51,100 
			 South West 32,800 32,500 35,000 33,400 34,100 35,400 
			 Wales 24,100 23,900 26,000 24,100 24,200 25,100 
			 Scotland 33,200 33,500 37,100 34,000 34,600 37,100 
		
	
	
		
			   April 2006  May 2006  June 2006  July 2006  August 2006  September 2006 
			 North East 23,400 24,000 25,000 23,300 24,100 25,700 
			 North West 52,800 54,000 56,300 53,800 54,700 57,400 
			 Yorks/Humber 37,900 37,800 40,200 38,200 39,000 41,000 
			 East Midlands 27,700 27,700 29,100 28,100 28,700 30,200 
			 West Midlands 37,000 37,500 39,400 37,200 38,100 40,400 
			 Eastern 31,400 31,500 32,900 31,200 32,100 33,400 
			 London 38,100 38,800 39,900 39,000 39,100 41,200 
			 South East 50,600 50,400 52,000 50,200 50,000 52,300 
			 South West 34,500 34,400 36,300 34,500 34,800 36,500 
			 Wales 24,000 24,500 25,600 24,400 24,400 25,800 
			 Scotland 35,000 35,600 37,900 35,100 36,000 38,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: The number of cases with an assessed/calculated maintenance liability which was not paid in full by the non-resident parent via the Agency's collection service, by London local authority area, October 2005 to September 2006. These figures are for cases held on the new computer system (CS2) only 
			   October 2005  November 2005  December 2005  January 2006  February 2006  March 2006 
			 City of London 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 Barking and Dagenham 800 800 800 800 900 900 
			 Barnet 500 500 600 600 600 700 
			 Bexley 700 700 700 700 700 800 
			 Brent 500 500 600 600 600 700 
			 Bromley 800 800 900 900 900 900 
			 Camden 400 400 500 500 500 500 
			 Croydon 1,300 1,400 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 
			 Ealing 700 700 700 700 700 800 
			 Enfield 800 800 800 800 800 900 
			 Greenwich 900 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,100 1,100 
			 Hackney 500 500 600 600 600 600 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 500 500 500 500 500 600 
			 Haringey 600 600 700 700 700 800 
			 Harrow 400 400 400 400 400 500 
			 Havering 500 500 600 500 600 600 
			 Hillingdon 600 700 700 700 700 800 
			 Hounslow 700 700 800 700 800 800 
			 Islington 500 500 600 600 600 600 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 200 300 300 300 300 300 
			 Kingston upon Thames 200 200 300 300 300 300 
			 Lambeth 1,100 1,100 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,300 
			 Lewisham 1,100 1,100 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,300 
			 Merton 500 500 500 500 500 500 
			 Newham 600 700 700 700 700 800 
			 Redbridge 500 500 600 600 600 600 
			 Richmond upon Thames 200 300 300 300 300 300 
			 Southwark 1,000 1,000 1,100 1,200 1,200 1,200 
			 Sutton 500 500 500 500 500 500 
			 Tower Hamlets 300 400 400 400 400 500 
			 Waltham Forest 600 600 700 700 700 700 
			 Wandsworth 700 700 700 800 800 800 
			 Westminster 300 300 400 300 300 400 
		
	
	
		
			   April 2006  May 2006  June 2006  July 2006  August 2006  September 2006 
			 City of London 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 Barking and Dagenham 900 900 1,000 900 900 1,000 
			 Barnet 600 700 700 700 700 800 
			 Bexley 800 800 800 800 800 900 
			 Brent 700 700 700 700 700 800 
			 Bromley 900 900 900 900 900 900 
			 Camden 500 500 500 500 500 600 
			 Croydon 1,500 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,700 
			 Ealing 800 800 900 800 800 900 
			 Enfield 900 900 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,100 
			 Greenwich 1,000 1,000 1,100 1,000 1,100 1,200 
			 Hackney 600 700 700 700 700 700 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 500 600 600 500 600 600 
			 Haringey 700 800 800 800 800 900 
			 Harrow 500 500 500 500 500 500 
			 Havering 600 600 600 600 600 700 
			 Hillingdon 800 800 800 800 800 900 
			 Hounslow 800 800 800 800 800 900 
			 Islington 600 700 700 600 700 700 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 300 300 300 300 300 300 
			 Kingston upon Thames 300 300 300 300 300 300 
			 Lambeth 1,300 1,300 1,400 1,300 1,300 1,400 
			 Lewisham 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,400 
			 Merton 600 600 600 600 600 600 
			 Newham 800 800 900 800 900 1,000 
			 Redbridge 600 700 700 700 700 800 
			 Richmond upon Thames 300 300 300 300 300 300 
			 Southwark 1,200 1,300 1,300 1,200 1,300 1,400 
			 Sutton 500 600 600 600 600 600 
			 Tower Hamlets 500 500 500 500 500 600 
			 Waltham Forest 700 800 800 800 800 800 
			 Wandsworth 800 800 800 800 800 800 
			 Westminster 400 400 400 400 400 400 
			  Notes to tables: 1. All numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Data to local authority area level is not available for old scheme cases on the Child Support Computer System (CSCS), because CSCS is monitored using a 5 per cent sample of cases. Therefore, the number of cases in each local authority area is too small to give a representative sample of Agency performance.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average age of uncleared Child Support Agency cases in each quarter since Q2 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the average age has been of uncleared Child Support Agency applications for each month since May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter form Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions two related questions:
	What the average age has been of uncleared Child Support Agency applications for each month since May 1997; and if he will make a statement; and
	What estimate he has made of the average age of uncleared Child Support Agency cases for each quarter since Q2 1997; and if he will make a statement.
	Such information as is available can be found in Table 5 of the September 2006 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_ sep06.asp
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the amountof Child Support Agency outstanding unpaid maintenance arrears in each quarter since 1993, broken down into  (a) collectable,  (b) possibly uncollectable,  (c) deferred and  (d) probably uncollectable;
	(2)  what the total uncollected Child Support Agency arrears were in each year since 1993, broken down by quarter; how much of the amount is assessed as  (a) uncollectable and  (b) collectable; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions:-
	what his estimate is of the amount of Child Support Agency outstanding unpaid maintenance arrears for each quarter since 1993 broken down into (a) collectable (b) possibly uncollectable (c) deferred and (d) probably uncollectable; and if he will make a statement.
	what the total uncollected Child Support Agency arrears were for each year since 1993 broken down by quarter; how much of the amount is assessed as (a) uncollectable and (b) collectable; and if he will make a statement.
	This information is presented in the attached table, showing the total Agency debt form 1994-95 to 2005-06. The figures shown below are in respect of maintenance and include arrears and current maintenance scheduled. It is not possible to break this down into quarters as the collectability analysis is done on an annual basis only.
	Please note that:
	i) Each year a proportion of the debt is classified as probably uncollectable, recognising the fact that the Agency is unlikely to collect this debt and a provision is made in the accounts for this amount. A change in accounting practice in 2005/06 meant that the Agency made a provision for a proportion of possibly uncollectable debt as well as probably uncollectable debt. The accounts for 2004/05 have been re-stated on this basis, please refer to 2005/06 Annual Report and Accounts. Therefore the possibly uncollectable figures for 2004/05 and 2005/06 are based upon the provision in the accounts only, hence the increase in collectable debt in these years.
	ii) The Annual Report and Accounts for previous years were re-stated in 1997-98, due to a change in accounting policy in reporting collectability of the debt. The re-stated figures have been shown.
	iii) The Agency did not publish audited accounts in 1993-94, therefore no figures are shown for this year.
	
		
			  Total Agency debt 
			billion 
			  1994/95  
			 Collectable 0.5 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.0 
			 Probably uncollectable 0.0 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 0.5 
			  1995/96  
			 Collectable 0.5 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.1 
			 Probably uncollectable 0.5 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 1.1 
			   
			  1996/97  
			 Collectable 0.3 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.1 
			 Probably uncollectable 0.8 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 1.2 
			   
			  1997/98  
			 Collectable 0.4 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.2 
			 Probably uncollectable 0.8 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 1.4 
			   
			  1998/99  
			 Collectable 0.5 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.2 
			 Probably uncollectable 1.1 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 1.8 
			   
			  1999/2000  
			 Collectable 0.5 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.2 
			 Probably uncollectable 1.4 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 2.1 
			   
			  2000/01  
			 Collectable 0.4 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.2 
			 Probably uncollectable 1.7 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 2.3 
			   
			  2001/02  
			 Collectable 0.5 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.1 
			 Probably uncollectable 1.9 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 2.5 
			   
			  2002/03  
			 Collectable 0.4 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.4 
			 Probably uncollectable 1.9 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 2.7 
			   
			  2003/04  
			 Collectable 0.4 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.6 
			 Probably uncollectable 2.0 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 3.0 
			   
			  2004/05  
			 Collectable 1.3 
			 Possibly uncollectable n/a 
			 Probably uncollectable 2.0 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 3.3 
			   
			  2005/06  
			 Collectable 0.7 
			 Possibly uncollectable 0.7 
			 Possibly uncollectable (provision) 0.2 
			 Probably uncollectable 1.9 
			 Deferred 0.0 
			 Total 3.5 
		
	
	Information for April 1999 to March 2006, is available via the Quarterly Summary Statistics website http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp
	I hope this information is helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what compensation he plans to pay to people awaiting the payment of Child Support Agency arrears; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Compensation is considered where it is the Child Support Agency's maladministration that has caused the debt to occur. The agency can consider both a consolatory payment and compensation for actual financial loss.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many uncleared Child Support Agency applications there have been in each month since May 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many uncleared Child Support Agency applications there have been in each month since May 1997.
	The attached table shows the number of uncleared applications at points in time between May 1999 and September 2006. It also provides a definition of what clearance means. For the period prior to May 1999, reliable management information on uncleared applications is not currently available. It should be noted that monthly data is only available from March 2003 and, for the period prior to this, only quarterly data can be provided.
	The information provided in the table can be derived by combining information from Table 1 and Table 2.1 of the September 2006 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_ sep06.asp
	Although the total volume of uncleared applications, 247,500 in September 2006, is the lowest since comparable records began, the Agency recognises that this remains unacceptably high. Therefore, the Agency has a 2006/07 target to ensure that, by March 2007, the volume of new scheme uncleared applications outstanding at March 2006 is reduced by 25 per cent and our challenge, as set down in our Operational Improvement Plan, is that the Agency should not have a backlog by March 2009. I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of uncleared applications across both schemes between May 1999 and September 2006 
			   Total  New scheme  Old scheme 
			  1999
			 May 334,500  334,500 
			 August 337,200  337,200 
			 November 316,500  316,500 
			 
			  2000
			 February 300,900  300,900 
			 May 292,600  292,600 
			 August 292,800  292,800 
			 November 292,800  292,800 
			 
			  2001
			 February 296,000  296,000 
			 May 304,500  304,500 
			 August 313,800  313,800 
			 November 293,100  293,100 
			 
			  2002
			 February 284,100  284,100 
			 May 269,300  269,300 
			 August 269,100  269,100 
			 November 259,800  259,800 
			 
			  2003
			 February 251,100  251,100 
			 March 259,900 17,600 242,200 
			 April 265,000 31,500 233,500 
			 May 272,300 48,900 223,400 
			 June 279,900 64,100 215,800 
			 July 291,300 80,500 210,700 
			 August 292,300 91,500 200,800 
			 September 294,900 100,400 194,400 
			 October 294,100 113,200 180,900 
			 November 293,100 123,100 169,900 
			 December 290,100 127,500 162,600 
			 
			  2004
			 January 297,500 137,100 160,400 
			 February 298,500 144,700 153,800 
			 March 298,000 156,000 142,000 
			 April 294,000 158,300 135,700 
			 May 295,600 170,000 125,500 
			 June 298,900 179,300 119,600 
			 July 300,800 186,600 114,200 
			 August 307,500 197,000 110,500 
			 September 309,200 204,400 104,800 
			 October 313,400 211,400 102,000 
			 November 316,400 217,300 99,100 
			 December 320,700 222,500 98,200 
			 
			  2005
			 January 317,700 225,400 92,400 
			 February 309,400 227,800 81,600 
			 March 303,100 226,400 76,600 
			 April 300,700 225,800 74,900 
			 May 294,100 223,500 70,500 
			 June 289,000 222,300 66,700 
			 July 285,700 221 ,200 64,500 
			 August 281,700 218,900 62,800 
			 September 279,800 219,300 60,500 
			 October 278,700 221,700 57,000 
			 November 274,900 218,800 56,000 
			 December 270,600 215,100 55,400 
			 
			  2006
			 January 270,900 216,300 54,500 
			 February 275,100 221,000 54,100 
			 March 274,600 221,700 52,900 
			 April 269,400 217,200 52,200 
			 May 267,200 215,400 51,800 
			 June 263,800 212,400 51,400 
			 July 256,300 205,100 51,200 
			 August 252,600 203,200 49,300 
			 September 247,500 200,500 47,100 
			  Notes: 1. A potential new application is cleared when it: has had a calculation and a payment arrangement set up (new scheme only); has had an assessment (old scheme only); has been closed (both schemes); has been identified as having had a good cause decision accepted (both schemes); has been identified as being subject to a reduced benefit decision (both schemes); has been identified as a change of circumstances to an existing case, as opposed to a new application (new scheme only). An application remains uncleared until it achieves one of the states above. 2. The old scheme began in February 1993. The new scheme began in March 2003. There are no reliable data on uncleared applications prior to May 1999. 3. Of the 47,100 old scheme applications still awaiting clearance, 23,900 are on the old Child Support Computer System (CSCS) and 23,100 on the new Child Support 2 (CS2) computer system. Of the 23,900 applications on CSCS 23,000 are suspended, principally because the agency has been unable to trace the non-resident parent. Similar types of applications will be included in work in progress on CS2 (for both old and new scheme applications), but the volumes cannot currently be quantified. 4. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100. For this reason, total applications may not always appear to equal new scheme applications plus old scheme applications. 5. This table counts applications for Child Support. Not all applications become live cases. It is not possible to quantify the extent to which the agency's clerical new-scheme caseload is or is not included in the above numbers.

Expatriate Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners living overseas have not had their pensions uprated annually in each year since 1976-77, broken down by country; what plans he has to change this policy; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available has been placed in the Library. We have no plans to change the current arrangements on uprating state pension overseas.

Expatriate Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government's policy is on uprating pensions of UK citizens who take-up residence overseas; what the policy will be on pensioners living overseas when the link to earnings is restored; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The UK State Pension is payable in all countries abroad to those who are entitled to it. It is uprated in the same way for UK pensioners living overseas where there is a reciprocal social security agreement or a legal requirement to do so. We have no plans to change these arrangements.

Expatriate Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria need to be met to enable a reciprocal agreement to be in place between the United Kingdom and another country to allow for the pensions of British expatriates who live in that country to be uprated fully each year.

James Purnell: Where a person is living outside the UK, the state pension is uprated if there is a legal requirement or a reciprocal agreement to do so.
	The primary purpose of reciprocal social security agreements is to provide a measure of coordination between social security schemes to protect the social security of workers moving between the two countries during their working lives. They avoid the duplication of payments of social security contributions and most make provisions for uprating of UK pensions.
	The last reciprocal agreement is over 25 years old. There are a number of factors, for example, the numbers of people moving between the UK and the other country, the benefits available under the other country's scheme and the compatibility of the social security systems, which determine whether a reciprocal social security agreement is entered into with another country. There are therefore no set criteria.

Expatriate Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with which countries the United Kingdom has a reciprocal agreement on the annual uprating of British expatriate pensions.

James Purnell: Under bilateral social security agreements, annual upratings of State Pensions are payable to pensioners living in the following countries: Barbados; Bermuda; Guernsey; Israel; Jamaica; Jersey; Mauritius; the Philippines; Turkey; the United States of America and the now separate republics of the former Yugoslavia that are not EU Member States (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the State Union of Serbia-Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).

Financial Assistance Scheme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on  (a) administration and  (b) legal fees for the Financial Assistance Scheme in each month since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The Financial Assistance Scheme was announced in May 2004. Monthly information on expenditure is not available in a comparative form covering the whole period. Total expenditure on administration in 2004-05 was 1.06 million and in 2005-06 4.73 million. One off legal fees of 2,089 arose in March 2005. In 2006-07 expenditure to the end of October totalled 1.74 million and a monthly breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			  Current financial year 2006-07   
			 Apr 2006 144,542 
			 May 2006 198,464 
			 June 2006 159,827 
			 July 2006 617,991 
			 August 2006 170,832 
			 September 2006 169,283 
			 October 2006 278,945

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration of an incapacity benefit claim was in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available. Although data are held on actual durations at a specific point in time, it is not possible to calculate average durations from these data.

Incapacity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women were in receipt of incapacity related benefits in each year since 1976-77.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the tables. Due to changes in the benefits available, figures are not directly comparable over time.
	
		
			  Female sickness benefit (SB), invalidity benefit (IVB), non-contributory invalidity pension (NCIP), housewife's non-contributory invalidity pension (HNCIP), and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants in Great Britain at dates shown 
			   Number 
			 June 1977 299,250 
			 June 1978 381,000 
			 June 1979 402,500 
			 May 1980 417,300 
			 May 1981 418,905 
			 May 1982 474,133 
			 April 1983 473,144 
			 March 1984 452,300 
			 March 1985 396,954 
			 April 1986 426,800 
			 April 1987 435,700 
			 April 1988 489,900 
			 April 1989 547,200 
			 March 1990 604,700 
			 March 1991 669,200 
			 April 1992 753,700 
			 April 1993 840,600 
			 April 1994 905,400 
			 April 1995 989,700 
		
	
	
		
			  Female claimants of incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) in Great Britain in February each year 
			   Number 
			 1996 1,020,900 
			 1997 1,048,400 
			 1998 1,066,600 
			 1999 1,071,200 
			 2000 1,080,990 
			 2001 1,118,030 
			 2002 1,128,830 
			 2003 1,153,440 
			 2004 1,165,400 
			 2005 1,168,790 
			 2006 1,158,500 
			  Notes:  1. SDA replaced NCIP and HNCIP in November 1984. 2. Incapacity benefit replaced SB and IVB on 13 April 1995.  3. Incapacity benefit figures include contribution-only cases.  4. May 1995 to May 1999 (inclusive) figures are uprated to WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest hundred.  5. August 1999 to February 2006 figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample and 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

IT Projects

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which web-related information technology projects have cost his Department more than 50,000 since 2001; how many qualified tender proposals there were for each project; and which company was awarded each contract.

James Purnell: The Department for Work and Pensions undertakes a large number of projects which deliver business change and policy initiatives. Many projects will include web-related technology available to the public. The following table includes only those projects where the web-enabled IT element is such that non-delivery of the IT would significantly damage the project' s ability to deliver its intended results.
	The following table summarises the web-related projects undertaken by DWP, the number of qualified tender proposals and the supplier awarded the contract in each case.
	
		
			  Project  Number of qualified tender proposals  Supplier 
			 Candidate Job Bank 1 (under ITPA(1)) EDS 
			 Internet Job Bank 1 (under ITPA(1)) EDS 
			 State Pensions Forecasting e-Services 2 (1 for development under the Accord Framework and 1 to operate under the Accord Framework) DevelopmentFujitsu (with Accenture as sub-contractor). OperateEDS 
			 Known Facts  Enrolment 1 (under the Accord Framework) EDS 
			 Carer's Allowance Interactive e-Services 1 (under the Accord Framework) EDS with sub contract to EzGov for web hosting 
			 (1) The IT Partnership Agreement (ITPA) and Accord Framework were let under one of two frameworks inherited by DWP:  (a) The Employment Service framework was known as ITPA. This framework was a competitively let PFI agreement that complied with EU and UK regulations for the letting of such contracts. EDS was the successful contractor for ITPA.  (b) The Department for Social Security framework was known as Accord. This framework was a competitively let PFI agreement that complied with EU and UK regulations for the letting of such contracts. EDS was the lead for one of three consortiums under Accord. The other leads were BT and Fujitsu (formerly ICL). In each case the principal contractor had the right to appoint sub-contractors with the Department's approval.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many questions for written answer from  (a) the hon. Member for Yeovil and  (b) other hon. Members have been colour-coded red by his Department since the traffic light system was introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: As there is no formal departmental monitoring system in place related to the trialling of the new system of colour coding, the information is not available.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many questions for written answer from hon. Members in the last parliamentary session were not answered by 8 November 2006; how many and what proportion of these were colour-coded  (a) green,  (b) amber and  (c) red; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Of the 5,187 questions tabled for substantive answer in the 2005-06 session, 121 had not received a response by prorogation.
	As there is no formal departmental monitoring system in place related to the trialling of the new system of colour coding, the further information requested is not available.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he introduced a traffic light colour-coding system for dealing with questions for written answer; for what reasons this system was introduced; what proportion of such questions have been coded as  (a) red,  (b) amber and  (c) green since the new system was introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Department began trialling in October of this year an informal colour-coding system to identify questions of which press office should be made aware, and for which Ministers wish separate media briefing to be developed. As there is no formal departmental monitoring system in place related to the trialling, the information on numbers is not available.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether an estimate has been made of the net cost of compensating those identified in the Ombudsman's report Trusting in the Pensions Promise taking into account the resulting reduction in  (a) pension credit,  (b) council tax benefit and  (c) housing benefit payable to those compensated.

James Purnell: No reliable estimate can be made. We have estimated the cost of replacing in full the lost pensions for those covered by the Ombudsman's report as 15 billion cash, over 60 years and around 3 billion in NPV. This is, as we have always made clear, the gross cost, taking no account of any possible savings from a reduction in the payment of income-related benefits or any possible increase in tax income. The length of time over which payments would be made make it difficult to estimate what the cost would be after these adjustments, as this would depend on the income distribution of people affected, the tax brackets they are in and their benefit entitlements.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will disaggregate the cost of basic state pension reforms, as shown in figure 9 of the Pensions White Paper, Security in Retirement: Towards a New Pension System, to show  (a) the gross cost of saving from increasing the basic state pension in line with earnings from 2012 on existing qualifying criteria,  (b) the net cost of increasing the basic state pension in line with earnings from 2012 on existing qualifying criteria,  (c) the changes to qualifying criteria and  (d) the changes to adult dependency increases proposed in the White Paper.

James Purnell: Under our reforms, more people will be receiving state pensions based on their National Insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. The guarantee credit will continue to provide a safety net and reforms to the savings credit will reduce the spread of means testing and support the savings incentives that are an integral part of the reform package.
	The following table contains the projected additional cost of basic state pensions reform. Column (a) shows the additional cost of the changes to adult dependency increases. Column (b) shows the additional cost of improving coverage of the basic state pension. Column (c) shows the gross and net cost of increasing the basic state pension in line with earnings, on current qualifying criteria. Column (d) is the total additional net cost of reforms to the basic state pension, excluding state pension age increases.
	
		
			  Table 1: Gross and net costs of basic state pension reforms 
			   (a) Changes to Adult Dependency Increases  (b) Changes to criteria qualifying  (c) BSP indexed to earnings  (d) Combined effect of policies 
			   Gross  Net  Gross  Net  Gross  Net  
			 2010 -0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 2011 -0.2 -0.1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 2012 -0.3 -0.2 0.3 0.2 0.8 0.4 0.4 
			 2013 -0.4 -0.3 0.4 0.3 1.7 1.1 1.0 
			 2014 -0.6 -0.5 0.5 0.4 2.8 1.7 1.6 
			 2015 -0.8 -0.6 0.6 0.4 3.8 2.4 2.3 
			 2016 -0.9 -0.7 0.7 0.5 4.9 3.1 2.9 
			 2017 -1.1 -0.9 0.8 0.6 6.1 3.8 3.5 
			 2018 -1.4 -1.1 0.8 0.7 7.3 4.4 4.0 
			 2019 -1.6 -1.2 0.9 0.7 8.5 5.1 4.6 
			 2020 -1.7 -1.4 1.0 0.8 9.8 5.9 5.4 
			 2030 -1.8 -1.4 2.5 1.9 29.6 18.4 19.0 
			 2040 -1.4 -1.1 3.5 2.7 57.8 35.5 37.1 
			 2050 -1.6 -1.2 3.7 2.9 91.5 55.9 57.6 
			  Notes: 1. Estimates of additional expenditure are consistent with the policy detail set out in the regulatory impact assessment accompanying the Pensions Bill. Net costs include savings seen from reduced expenditure on other income related benefits (pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit). They do not include any change in income tax revenue or National Insurance. 2. Net costs assume the pension credit standard minimum guarantee is uprated by earnings from 2008. 3. Columns (a) and (b) assume the basic state pension is linked to prices. Column (c) assumes the changes to adult dependency increases and the reforms to qualifying criteria have already taken place. Applying the changes in a different order would alter the gross and net cost of each individual policy, but not the total additional cost of reform. 4. Costs or savings presented in the table are based on long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit spend, consistent with the pre-Budget report 2006. 5. Figures exclude the effect of raising state pension age. 6. Figures exclude the effect of personal accounts. 7. All figures are  billion, in 2006-07 price terms.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost is to his Department of work related to pension reform that has been undertaken by consultants since the publication of the Pensions Commission's second report on 30 November 2005.

James Purnell: The total cost of work related to pension reform, both research and consultancy, that has been undertaken by consultants for the Department for Work and Pensions between 30 November 2005 and the end of August 2006 is 1,687,561.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the combined value of basic state pension and state second pension payments at the point of retirement for an average earner with a full contribution record reaching state pension age in each year from 2010  (a) under current policies and  (b) if the reforms in the Pension White Paper Security in Retirement: Towards a New Pension System are implemented.

James Purnell: The following table shows the estimated state pension entitlements for a male median earner with a full contribution record reaching state pension age in 2050 (before reform) and 2053 (after reform). It compares his outcomes under the current system with those under the full reform package, including the new simplified S2P proposals. The second table shows a male median earner reaching state pension age in 2050-53 who has contributed, or who has had credits, for a more typical working life of 40 or 43 years.
	
		
			  Full working life 
			  Reaching SPA in year  Median earner current system  Reformed system 
			 2010 150 150 
			 2011 149 149 
			 2012 148 149 
			 2013 147 149 
			 2014 145 149 
			 2015 144 149 
			 2016 143 149 
			 2017 142 149 
			 2018 141 149 
			 2019 140 149 
			 2020 139 149 
			 2021 138 150 
			 2022 137 150 
			 2023 136 150 
			 2025-26 134 151 
			 2026-27 133 151 
			 2027-28 132 153 
			 2028-29 131 153 
			 2029-30 130 152 
			 2030-31 129 152 
			 2031-32 128 153 
			 2032-33 127 152 
			 2034-36 125 152 
			 2035-37 124 151 
			 2036-38 123 151 
			 2037-39 122 151 
			 2038-40 121 151 
			 2039-41 121 151 
			 2040-42 120 151 
			 2041-43 120 152 
			 2043-46 119 152 
			 2044-47 118 152 
			 2045-48 118 152 
			 2046-49 117 152 
			 2047-50 117 152 
			 2048-51 116 152 
			 2049-52 116 152 
			 2050-53 115 152 
		
	
	
		
			  Typical working life 
			  Reaching SPA in year  Median earner current system  Reformed system 
			 2050-53 100 138 
			  Notes: 1. Values are projections. They are dependent upon future assumptions of price and earnings growth, and consequently are subject to revision. 2. Numbers are shown in 2005-06 earnings terms. 3. The male median earner is assumed to work from 16 or 25 years old until SPA and earns 440 per week in 2005-06 earnings terms with a flat earnings profile. 4. Figures exclude graduated pension. 5. Projections under current policies assume continued price uprating of the basic state pension. 6. The reform projection assumptions are based on data in the Regulatory Impact Assessment published with Pensions Bill. 7. The reformed system reflects the increases in pension age proposed in the Pensions Bill. The transitional years over which state pension age increases are excluded from the table as the phasing cannot easily be incorporated within the modelling. 8. The information provided in the first table shows the position of someone working from age 16 to state pension age. The information provided in the second table shows the position of someone working from age 25 to state pension age.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a revised version of Figure 8 from the Pensions White Paper Security in Retirement: Towards a New Pension Scheme in which the median earner chooses to defer his state pension until the age of 68, if current policies are continued.

James Purnell: Under our reforms a median earner who works from age 25 to state pension age, without private saving, could expect to receive 138 a week in basic state pension and state second pension if they retired in 2053. Without any reform a person with the same work record who deferred their state pension in 2050 could expect to receive 124 a week basic state pension and state second pension if they took their state pension in 2053.
	 Notes
	1. Values are projections. They are dependent upon future assumptions of price and earnings growth, and consequently are subject to revision.
	2. Numbers are shown in 2005-06 earnings terms.
	3. In the example the value of the state pension after increments have been included takes account of the decline in the value of state pension relative to earnings over the three year deferral period.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a revised version of Figure 1.xiv in the Pensions White Paper Security in Retirement: Towards a New Pension System to show the cost of proposed reforms to employers if all employers currently offering schemes with an employer contribution worth at least 3 per cent. of banded earnings automatically enrol all staff aged 22 years or over with earnings of at least 5,000 a year into their existing schemes on existing terms.

James Purnell: The following figures show the estimated costs to employers who contribute at least3 per cent. of employees' salary if they were to automatically enrol all staff aged 22 years or over with earnings of at least 5,000 a year into their existing schemes on existing terms.
	Most of these estimated costs would arise from the employer voluntarily offering a scheme with a contribution rate above the proposed minimum.
	
		
			  Firm size  Costs of employer contribution at existing contribution rates ( million) 
			 1 to 4 100 
			 5 to 49 200 
			 50 to 249 300 
			 250+ 1200 
			 Total 1800 
			  Notes: 1. The figures are calculated on the same basis as that used in Figure 1.xiv in the Pensions White Paper Security in retirement: Towards a New Pension System. Figures in the White paper Personal Accounts: a new way to save are on an updated and hence different basis. 2. These costs cannot be added to costs of the 3 per cent. minimum contribution presented in the White Paper because this would involve double counting. 3. Cost to employers are based on estimates of their current contribution rates, not projected contribution rates in 2010. 4. Costs of minimum employer contribution ( million) are rounded to the nearest 100 million, figures may not sum due to rounding. 5. Participation rates are identical to those used in of Figure 1.xiv in the Pensions White Paper Security in retirement: Towards a New Pension System and are based on our central estimate of opt out and around one third. We estimate that the range of opt-out rates will be between 20 per cent. and 50 per cent.  Sources: DWP modelling using Employers' Pension Provision Survey 2005, Family Resources Survey 2004/05, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2004 and Small-and Medium sized Enterprise Statistics 2004.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will estimate what proportion of pensioner benefit units, including those with sufficient income not to qualify for pension credit, would in 2050 face an average rate of pension credit withdrawal on any income from sources other than the basic state pension that is  (a) 40 per cent.,  (b) 41-50 per cent.,  (c) 51-60 per cent.,  (d) 61-70 per cent.,  (e) 71-80 per cent.,  (f) 81-90 per cent.,  (g) 91-99 per cent. and  (h) 100 per cent., if current uprating policies were continued indefinitely;
	(2)  what proportion of pensioner benefit units, including those with sufficient income not to qualify for pension credit, will in 2050 face an average rate of pension credit withdrawal on any income from sources other than the basic state pension that is  (a) 40 per cent.,  (b) 41-50 per cent.,  (c) 51-60 per cent.,  (d) 61-70 per cent.,  (e) 71-80 per cent.,  (f) 81-90 per cent.,  (g) 91-99 per cent. and  (h) 100 per cent., if the reforms proposed in the Pensions White Paper Security in Retirement: Towards a New Pensions System are implemented.

James Purnell: Our reforms to state pensions will ensure that by 2050 the vast majority of pensioners will have income from both the basic state pension and state second pension, with pensioners receiving on average around 130 per week in state pension. This means most people will have a higher foundation on which to save than a full basic state pension.
	We estimate that around 30 per cent. of pensioner households will be eligible to pension credit in 2050 under the reforms proposed in the Pensions Bill, compared to around 80 per cent. without reform. Furthermore, only around 6 per cent. of pensioner households will be eligible to just the Guarantee element of pension credit and therefore face a pound for pound withdrawal rate. Most of these will either have no private savings or very small amounts. Those with savings pots below 15,000 may take advantage of the trivial commutation rules and take their savings as a taxable lump sum.
	We recently published detailed analysis on the incentives to save in personal accounts, Financial incentives to save for retirement. This shows that the vast majority of people can expect to benefit in retirement from saving in a personal account. For example, even someone receiving the savings credit in 2050, and no other benefits, could expect a payback of 2 for every 1 saved due to a minimum employer contribution and tax relief plus investment growth.
	 Notes:
	1. Projections of pension credit entitlement based on the current system assume: continued earnings uprating of the standard minimum guarantee; continued price uprating of the savings credit threshold; and continued price uprating of the basic state pension. Earnings uprating of the standard minimum guarantee was an agreed policy until 2008 and will continue beyond that date as part of our stated pension reform.
	2. Projections of pension credit entitlement under reform assume: earnings uprating of the standard minimum guarantee; the savings credit maximum uprated by earnings from 2008 and then by prices from 2015; earnings uprating of the basic state pension from 2012; increases in state pension age as set out in the Pensions Bill; measures to improve coverage of the basic state pension described in the Pensions Bill.
	3. Financial incentives to save for retirement is available for download at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/pensionsreform/pdfs/Financiallncentives.pdf

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will disaggregate the cost of pension credit reforms listed in figure 9 of the Pensions White Paper into  (a) the cost of uprating the guarantee credit in line with earnings from 2008-09 and  (b) the savings generated by proposed reforms to the savings credit.

James Purnell: Under our reforms, more people will be receiving state pensions based on their national insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. The guarantee credit will continue to provide a safety net and reforms to the savings credit will reduce the spread of means-testing and support the savings incentives that are an integral part of the reform package.
	The following table contains in column  (a) the projected additional costs arising from uprating the standard minimum guarantee from 2008 with earnings rather than prices; and in column  (b) the savings arising from savings credit reform to uprate the maximum with earnings from 2008 and with prices from 2015 as set out in the White Paper. All figures are based directly on those in the regulatory impact assessment that supports the Pensions Bill and exclude the effect of all other reform measures.
	
		
			  Cost of pension credit reforms 
			   billion (2006-07 price terms) 
			   (a) Cost of uprating the standard minimum guarantee from 2008  (b) Savings arising from the savings credit reform to uprate the maximum with earnings from 2008 and with prices from 2015 
			 2008 0.6 0.0 
			 2009 1.3 0.1 
			 2010 1.9 0.3 
			 2011 2.8 0.4 
			 2012 3.6 0.5 
			 2013 4.4 0.6 
			 2014 5.3 0.6 
			 2015 6.0 0.6 
			 2016 6.9 0.6 
			 2017 7.6 0.7 
			 2018 8.5 0.8 
			 2019 9.3 0.8 
			 2020 10.2 0.9 
			 2030 21.4 1.7 
			 2040 36.6 2.8 
			 2050 55.4 4.0 
			  Notes: 1. Estimates of additional expenditure are consistent with the Pensions Bill and supporting regulatory impact assessment. Costs are net of all other income-related benefits (housing benefit and council tax benefit). 2. Costs or savings presented in the table are based on long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit spend, consistent with the pre-Budget report 2006. Costs are shown additional to a baseline of the current system projected forward with the pension credit standard minimum guarantee uprated by prices from 2008; continued price uprating of the savings credit threshold; and continued price uprating of the basic state pension. 3. Figures assume uprating the pension credit standard minimum guarantee by earnings from 2008, and uprating the savings credit maximum by earnings from 2008 and then by prices from 2015. It excludes changes to pension credit as a consequence of earnings uprating the basic state pension. 4. Figures exclude the effect of personal accounts. 5. Figures exclude the effects on expenditure on pension credit arising from increases in the state pension age.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost would be of restoring the link between the basic state pension and earnings in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009,  (c) 2010 and  (d) 2012 for each year from 2008-09 to 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: Under our reforms, more people will be receiving state pensions based on their national insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. The guarantee credit will continue to provide a safety net and reforms to the savings credit will reduce the spread of means testing and support the savings incentives that are an integral part of the reform package.
	The following table contains the projected additional cost of earnings uprating the basic state pension, assuming different start dates.
	
		
			  Cost of earnings uprating the basic state pension from different years 
			   billion, 2006-07 prices 
			   Basic state pension earnings uprated from: 
			   (a) 2008  (b) 2009  (c) 2010  (d) 2012 
			 2008-09 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 2009-10 1.2 0.6 0.0 0.0 
			 2010-11 1.9 1.2 0.6 0.0 
			 2011-12 2.5 1.8 1.2 0.0 
			 2012-13 3.2 2.5 1.8 0.6 
			 2013-14 3.9 3.2 2.5 1.2 
			 2014-15 4.6 3.9 3.1 1.8 
			 2015-16 5.4 4.6 3.8 2.5 
			  Notes: 1. Estimates of additional expenditure are consistent with the policy detail set out in the White Paper. Costs are net of all other income related benefits (pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit), and are relative to a pension credit baseline where the standard guarantee credit is uprated by prices from 2008. 2. Figures do not include the effect of any other reform measures. 3. Costs or savings presented in the table are based on long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit spend, consistent with the Budget report 2006. 4. Figures exclude the effect of personal accounts.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of running the Pensions Service in each year from 1990-91 to 2005-06.

James Purnell: Prior to April 2002, the Benefits Agency was responsible for the delivery of benefits and services for pensioners. From April 2002, this became the sole responsibility of The Pension Service.
	The following figures show the operating costs of The Pension Service for the four years since its launch in April 2002.
	
		
			   Operating costs (000)( 1) 
			 2002-03 513,429 
			 2003-04 760,809 
			 2004-05 830,552 
			 2005-06 748,584 
			 (1) The costs shown are the operating costs for the running of The Pension Service core business as published in The Pension Service annual report and accounts. They do not include investment costs.  Source:  The Pension Service annual report and accounts 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06.

Retirement Planner

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost has been of developing his Department's web-based retirement planner.

James Purnell: 11.3 million has been incurred on the web-based retirement planner to date.

Suzan Sampson

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that Mrs Suzan Sampson of South Brent, Devon receives her national insurance number by Christmas; and what the reasons are for the delay.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 14 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1340W.

Unemployment: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were unemployed in Eastbourne in  (a) 1996 and  (b) 2006.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 December 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were unemployed in Eastbourne in (a) 1996 and (b) 2006.
	The information requested was given in an answer on 12 December 2006 (Hansard: column 978W-979W, reference 105111).
	However, since that answer, statistics on claimants of Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) for November 2006 have been published. The average total number of JSA claimants resident in the Eastbourne constituency for the 12 months ending in November 2006 is 1,523. This figure is 2.9 per cent. of the estimated resident population of working age in the constituency.

Written Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which official in his Department is in charge of monitoring answers to written parliamentary questions; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: All answers to parliamentary questions are the responsibility of Ministers.

Written Parliamentary Questions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department in the last session of Parliament were substantively unanswered  (a) three months,  (b) six months,  (c) nine months and  (d) 12 months after tabling.

Anne McGuire: A total of 5,462 commons written parliamentary questions were tabled to the Department in the 2005-06 session. 275 were transferred or withdrawn leaving 5,187 for substantive reply.
	The proportions of written parliamentary questions substantively unanswered within the periods specified are contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Interval after tabling ( 1)  Number of questions outstanding  Proportion of total questions for substantive reply (5, 187) (%) 
			 At 90 days 273 5.3 
			 At 180 days 23 0.4 
			 At 270 days 1  
			 At 365 days 0  
			 (1 )Departmental systems do not record time intervals in calendar months and data in the format requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Intervals of 90, 180, 270 and 365 days have been used in place of 3, 6, 9 and 12 months respectively. Days referred to are calendar days and include weekends, non-sitting days and periods when the House was in recess.

Written Parliamentary Questions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's special advisors have had discussions with the parliamentary clerk in his Department on the time within which replies are given to written parliamentary questions.

Anne McGuire: No.

Written Parliamentary Questions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has a policy of prioritisation of replies to written parliamentary questions.

Anne McGuire: No.

Written Parliamentary Questions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets his Department has relating to the time within which written parliamentary questions should be replied to.

Anne McGuire: The Department seeks to answer parliamentary questions according to parliamentary timescales.

Written Parliamentary Questions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of written parliamentary questions to his Department were substantively unanswered in the last session of Parliament.

Anne McGuire: A total of 5,462 commons written parliamentary questions were tabled to the Department in the 2005-06 session, of which 275 were transferred or withdrawn, leaving 5,187 for substantive reply.
	Of these 5,187 questions, 97.1 per cent. (5,037 questions) were given a substantive response, 0.6 per cent. (29 questions) were given a Prorogation response, and 2.4 per cent. (121 questions) fell at Prorogation, without a response.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Expenditure Limits

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his statement of 21 November 2006,  Official Report, column 30WS, on departmental expenditure limits 2006-07, whether his administration budget includes provision for  (a) the cost of his official residence in Admiralty House,  (b) the cost of his foreign travel,  (c) the cost of his travel within the UK and  (d) the cost of his ministerial car.

John Prescott: My Department's budget will be accounted for in the departmental report and accounts.